A New Contribution to Cancer Research From GTU

New compounds stand out for their ability to both protect cells from oxidative stress and selectively target cancer cells.

Cancer is one of the most common and deadly diseases today, and researchers are continuing to study compounds with diverse biological properties to discover new molecules that could be effective in cancer treatment.

In a study conducted by Prof. Gönül Yenilmez-Çiftçi and her research group from the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science Gebze Technical University (GTU), new cyclotriphosphazene derivatives containing flavone groups were designed, and their antioxidant and anticancer properties were investigated. This study constitutes part of İbrahim Kitmür’s PhD thesis, supported by TÜBİTAK Project No. 123Z211. In the study, cyclotriphosphazene compounds bearing flavone groups were synthesized, and their structures were confirmed by NMR, FT-IR, MS, and X-ray crystallographic analyses. The results revealed that the compounds exhibited high antioxidant activity, reaching up to 95% efficiency. In vitro studies conducted on breast cancer (MCF-7) cells showed that the compounds significantly reduced the viability of tumor cells while demonstrating low toxicity levels in normal breast cells (MCF-12A).

These findings indicate that the developed compounds have the potential to selectively target tumor cells while protecting healthy cells. The study suggests that such new compounds may hold significant promise as potential chemical molecules for cancer treatment.

Why It Matters

Dual action: These compounds possess both antioxidant properties that can reduce oxidative stress and the ability to selectively target cancer cells.

Selectivity: Their capacity to suppress only cancer cells without harming healthy cells represents a major advantage for future drug candidacy.

A new line of research: This study demonstrates that flavone-based cyclotriphosphazene derivatives could be among new molecular candidates to be evaluated in cancer therapy.

The study has been published in the Journal of Molecular Structure (2026).

Source:

Kitmür, İ., Şenkuytu, E., Mesci, S., Yıldırım, T., & Çiftçi, G.Y. (2026). Design and synthesis of cyclotriphosphazene derivatives bearing hydroxyflavone groups: Antioxidant properties and cytotoxic effects in breast cancer cells. Journal of Molecular Structure.

👉 DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2025.14399

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