Antineoplastic and antiviral activities of podophyllotoxin related lignans.

28 cyclolignans, most of them derived from podophyllotoxin, have been evaluated for their antineoplastic and antiviral activities. They were subjected to screening against P-388 murine leukemia, A-549 human lung carcinoma, and HT-29 colon carcinoma, while antiviral assays were performed on herpes simplex virus type I infecting fibroblasts of monkey kidney (HSV/CV-1) and on vesicular stomatitis virus infecting fibroblasts of hamster kidney (VSV/BHK). A number of substances were active in both groups of assays at concentrations below 1 microM; deoxypodophyllotoxin (1) being the most potent compound in all cases.