DETAILED DESCRIPTION What is claimed is: 1.
The method of treatment of a living subject affected by hepatoma which consists of administering to said subject by the oral route up to three times daily a pharmaceutical composition in unit dosage form containing 50-300 mgs.
per dose of a compound which is a member selected from the group consisting of 3-(2,3-Epoxypropoxy)xanthone, 6-(2,3-Epoxy-propoxy)-1-hydroxyxanthone, 2,6-di(2,3-epoxypropoxy)xanthone, 3,5-di(2,3-epoxypropoxyl)-1-hydroxyxanthone and 3,4-Dihydroxy-xanthone.
2.
A pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of hepatoma in unit dosage form containing 50-300 mgs.
for oral administration or 2-15 mgs.
for intravenous administration of a compound which is a member selected from the group consisting of 3-(2,3-Epoxypropoxy)xanthone, 6-(2,3-Epoxypropoxy)-1-hydroxy-xanthone, 2,6-di(2,3-epoxypropoxy) xanthone, 3,5-di(2,3-epoxypropoxy)-1-hydroxyxanthone and 3,4-Dihydroxyxanthone.
Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a series of novel .
GAMMA.
-pyrone compounds which are active in the treatment of hepatoma, to processes for their preparation and to certain useful intermediates for the same processes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Based on the fact that the human body is susceptible to cancer, several methods to decrease or eliminate the painful illness, or to discover cytotoxic substances have been proposed.
Although many chemotherapeutic agents are clinically useful for the treatment of several forms of cancer such as acute leukemia, Burkitt's lymphoma, retinoblastoma, Ewing's sarcoma, testicular carcinoma, choriocarcinoma, Hodgkin's disease, lymphosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, or mycosis fungoides, they are inactive against human hepatoma.
Some natural .
GAMMA.
-pyrone compounds, Psorospermin (1) and related compounds, 3',4'-deoxy-psorospermin, 3',4'=deoxypsorospermin-3',4'-diol, 3',4'-deoxy-4'-chloropsorspermin-3'-ol, O.
sup.
5 -methyl-3',4'-deoxypsorospermin-3'-ol exhibit strong cytotoxic effects against leukemia cells (Habib, A
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