2,3,5-Substituted tetrahydrofurans as cancer chemopreventives. Part 1: synthesis and anti-cancer activities of 5-hydroxymethyl-2,3-diaryl-tetrahydro-furan-3-ols.

The allylation of appropriate benzoin in presence of indium metal followed by m-CPBA mediated cyclization gave 5-hydroxymethyl-2,3-diaryl-tetrahydro-furan-3-ols. Investigations on 59 human tumor cell lines of these compounds identify four compounds exhibiting significant growth inhibition of tumor cells at particular cell lines. Compound 12 is very specific toward CCRF-CEM and SR cell lines of leukemia.