New Materials, Compounds and Applications

Glycyrrhetinic acid belongs to the group of triterpenoids isolated from licorice root, which are known for their extensive biological activity, such as anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antibacterial, antiviral and antioxidant properties. Nevertheless, their applicability is hindered by insufficient water solubility and bioavailability. This study describes the synthesis and characterization of novel amide derivatives of 3-acetoxyglycyrrhetinic acid with sulfonamide groups by UV, IR and NMR spectroscopy (¹H, ¹³C, HSQC, HMBC, COSY) and mass spectrometry. To evaluate antiproliferative activity, the influence of the synthesized compounds on HeLa cells was estimated via the MTT assay. It was found that the synthesized compounds did not show significant antiproliferative activity at a concentration of 100 μg/mL, with viability values of 112.9% and 120.2% compared to the untreated control. Therefore, the incorporation of the investigated sulfonamide fragments into the structure of 3-acetoxyglycyrrhetinic acid did not enhance its antiproliferative properties toward HeLa cells.