Abstract A series of 3-aryl-5, 7-dimethoxyquinolin-4-ones 8 and 3-aryl-5, 7-dimethoxy-2, 3- dihydroquinolin-4-ones 13 were synthesized in good yields. Demethylation under a range of conditions afforded the corresponding 5-hydroxy and 5, 7-dihydroxy derivatives. Biological evaluation against a range of cancer cells lines showed that the quinolin-4-one scaffold was more cytotoxic than the reduced 2, 3-dihydroquinolin-4-one scaffold. The most active ...
