4-methoxyphenylacetic Acid Research Articles

Quantitative investigations of Zebrafish olfactory receptor ORA1 responsiveness to three pheromones: Microscopic and macroscopic characterizations via an advanced statistical physics treatment

In this work, an adsorption phenomenon putatively involved in the olfactory sense of phenylacetic acid, 4-chlorophenylacetic acid, and 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid pheromones in the Zebrafish olfactory receptor ORA1 was a helpful mechanism in interpreting and characterizing the olfaction process at a molecular level. Hence, the experimental dose-olfactory response curves were fitted by applying the one-layer adsorption model with a single energy (1LM1E). On one hand, the different parameters introduced in the selected model were used to microscopically study the three olfactory systems. Indeed, the fitting results showed that phenylacetic acid displayed the greatest maximum olfactory response at saturation, due to the effect of functional groups at the R4 position. The three pheromones were docked via a non-parallel orientation and the adsorption process was a multi-molecular mechanism. The sizes of different binding pockets of ORA1 were determined through the estimation of the olfactory receptor site size distributions (stereographic characterization). The estimated adsorption energies, ranging from 17.340 to 21.332 kJ/mol, can be used to describe the energetic interactions between the studied pheromones and the Zebrafish ORA1 binding pockets. The spectrums of the adsorption energy distributions of phenylacetic acid, 4-chlorophenylacetic acid, and 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid, which were spread out from 10 to 32.5 kJ/mol, 5 to 30 kJ/mol, and 10 to 32.5 kJ/mol, respectively, was determined to estimate the corresponding olfactory bands (energetic characterization). On the other hand, three thermodynamic functions were estimated in order to macroscopically study the three olfactory systems.

Simultaneous determination of three biomarkers of non-small cells lung cancer in urine by pipette-tip solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

Simultaneous determination of multiple biomarkers can improve the effectiveness and accuracy of cancer diagnosis. Cortisol, cortisone, and 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid (4-Me) are metabolic biomarker group with high specificity and sensitivity for the diagnosis of non-small cells lung cancer (NSCLC), and the development of their simultaneous determination method is desired. Herein, a simple, sensitive, and low-cost method involving pipette-tip solid-phase extraction (PT-SPE) using anion exchange adsorbent (MAX) coupled with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed for the simultaneous determination of three biomarkers (cortisol, cortisone, and 4-Me) in human urine. The sample (0.1 mL), adsorbent (1.5 mg) and organic reagent (3.5 mL) of MAX-PT-SPE are less consumed, and have the advantages of easy access to raw materials, simple assembly, convenient on-site instant extraction, low pollution, and low cost. The limits of detection of the three biomarkers were 0.006-0.024 ng mL-1, the recoveries of three spiked levels (2, 50, and 500 ng mL-1) were 91.0%-99.3%, with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) ≤ 5.9%. Finally, the MAX-PT-SPE-LC-MS/MS method achieved the quantitative analysis of cortisol, cortisone, and 4-Me in urine of different patients of NSCLC. This method is expected to be used in the non-invasive auxiliary diagnosis of NSCLC, and it provides a new strategy for multi-molecular diagnosis and multi-omics combined diagnosis.

Reduced defects and enhanced Vbi in perovskite absorbers through synergetic passivating effect using 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid

Surface defect-assisted non-radiative recombination is one of major detrimental factors limiting the development of efficient and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The ionic characteristic of perovskite absorbers facilitates passivation of diverse defects through the interaction of specific ending functional groups of organic molecules. Here, the passivation mechanism of a bifunctional organic molecule, 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid (MPA), on the defects within perovskite absorbers is systematically investigated. Density functional theory and X-ray photoelectric spectroscopy confirm that the keto-oxygen atom of carboxylic acid in the MPA mainly passivates Pb–I antisite through Lewis base-acid interaction, while the O-donor of the methoxy group from MPA heals the undercoordinated Pb2+ on the perovskite absorbers surface via a coordination bond. The synergetic passivation of two functional groups significantly reduces the defect density and thus recombination loss, which is confirmed by the space charge limited current, time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and PL mapping. The capacitance-voltage measurement proves that MPA treatment enhances the built-in potential to accelerate the separation of photogenerated charges within perovskite absorbers. As a result, MPA-treated PSCs achieve a champion efficiency of 22.32% (relatively to 20.97% of the control) coupled with improved environmental tolerance for PSCs on ITO/glass and 19.34% for PSCs on flexible ITO/polyethylene terephthalate.

An efficient total synthesis of a natural Penipanoid A

Natural products with heterocyclic core units are ample and widespread in nature, with many compounds exhibiting promising therapeutic properties. Penipanoid A (1) is a triazole based natural product isolated from the marine sediment derived fungus Penicillium Aneum SD-44 and exhibits the cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activity. Structurally, it features a 1,2,4-triazole motif. Herein, we report an efficient total synthesis of Penipanoid A (1) by a multi-component reaction involving formation of a triazole ring system as the key fragment starting from 4-methoxyphenyl acetic acid. Deprotection of the methoxy protected compound 2 provided the required natural product 1.

A C-H Functionalization Strategy Enables an Enantioselective Formal Synthesis of (-)-Aflatoxin B2.

An enantioselective formal synthesis of (-)-aflatoxin B2 from 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid has been achieved by an approach that produces a key carbon-carbon bond, a benzylic stereocenter, and two arene carbon-oxygen bonds in the course of three site-selective C-H functionalizations. The carbonyl-directed acetoxylation of two arene C-H bonds described herein is unprecedented in natural product synthesis and occurs under mild conditions that preserve the configuration of a sensitive benzylic stereocenter.

Monofloral Honeys as a Potential Source of Natural Antioxidants, Minerals and Medicine.

Background: vegetative diversity is based on different climate and geographical origins. In terms of beekeeping, herbal diversity is strongly correlated to the production of a wide variety of honey. Therefore, based on the existing plant diversity in each country, multiple honey varieties are produced with different health characteristics. While beekeeping potential and consumption preferences are reflected in products’ variety, this leads to an increase in the region’s economy and extensive export. In the last years, monofloral honey has gained interest from consumers and especially in the medicinal field due to the presence of phytochemicals which are directly linked to health benefits, wound healing, antioxidant, anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities. Scope and approach: this review aims to highlight the physicochemical properties, mineral profiles and antioxidant activities of selected monofloral honeys based on their botanical and geographical origin. Moreover, this review focuses on the intercorrelation between monofloral honey’s antioxidant compounds and in vitro and in vivo activities, focusing on the apoptosis and cell proliferation inhibition in various cell lines, with a final usage of honey as a potential therapeutic product in the fight towards reducing tumor growth. Key findings and conclusions: multiple studies have demonstrated that monofloral honeys have different physicochemical structures and bioactive compounds. Useful chemical markers to distinguish between monofloral honeys were evidenced, such as: 2-methoxybenzoic acid and trimethoxybenzoic acid are distinctive to Manuka honey while 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid is characteristic to Kanuka honey. Furthermore, resveratrol, epigallocatechin and pinostrobin are markers distinct to Sage honey, whereas carvacrol and thymol are found in Ziziphus honey. Due to their polyphenolic profile, monofloral honeys have significant antioxidant activity, as well as antidiabetic, antimicrobial and anticancer activities. It was demonstrated that Pine honey decreased the MDA and TBARS levels in liver, kidney, heart and brain tissues, whereas Malicia honey reduced the low-density lipoprotein level. Consumption of Clover, Acacia and Gelam honeys reduced the weight and adiposity, as well as trygliceride levels. Furthermore, the antiproliferative effect of chrysin, a natural flavone in Acacia honey, was demonstrated in human (A375) and murine (B16-F1) melanoma cell lines, whereas caffeic acid, a phenolic compound found in Kelulut honey, proves to be significant candidate in the chemoprevention of colon cancer. Based on these features, the use of hiney in the medicinal field (apitherapy), and the widespread usage of natural product consumption, is gaining interest by each year.

A Novel Composite Biomarker Panel For Detection Of Early Stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

To investigate a novel composite methodology of using targeted serum microRNAs (micro ribonucleic acid; miRNA) and urine metabolites for the accurate detection of early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Consecutively consenting NSCLC patients and matched control subjects were recruited to provide samples of serum for miRNA and/or urine for metabolite analyses. Serum miRNA levels were measured using quantitative real-time reverse-transcription with exogenous control, and the comparative delta cycle threshold (CT) method was used to calculate relative miRNA expression of two targeted miRNAs (miR-21 and miR-223). The concentrations of six targeted urinary metabolites in patients and healthy controls were measured using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy. A composite methodology of using the 35 accruals with both serum and urine biomarkers was then established with binary logistic regression, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) models with or without artificial intelligence (AI). The ROC analysis of miRNA expression yielded a sensitivity of 96.4% and a specificity of 88.2% for the detection of early stage NSCLC, with area under the curve (AUC) = 0.91 (CI 95%: 0.80-1.0). Relative urinary concentrations of 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid (4MPLA) were significantly different between NSCLC and healthy control (p=0.008). The ROC analysis of 4MPLA yielded a sensitivity of 82.1% and a specificity of 88.2%, with AUC = 0.85. The composite process combining miRNA and metabolite expression demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of nearly 100% and AUC=1. A highly specific, sensitive and non-invasive detection method for NSCLC was developed. Pending validation, this can potentially improve the early detection and, hence, the treatment and survival outcomes of patients.

Screening of Urinary Renal Cancer Metabolic Biomarkers with Gold Nanoparticles-assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry.

Renal cell carcinoma is a very aggressive and often fatal disease for which there are no specific biomarkers found to date. The purpose of this work was to find features that differentiate urine metabolic profiles of healthy people and cancer patients. Laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry on gold nanostructures-based techniques were used for the metabolic analysis of urine of 50 patients with kidney cancer. Comparison with data from 50 healthy volunteers led to the discovery of several compounds that may be considered potential renal cell carcinoma (RCC) biomarkers. Statistical analysis of data allowed for the discovery of m/z values that had the greatest impact on group differentiation. A database search enabled the assignment of signals for the most promising 15 features among them: serine, heptanol, 3-methylene-indolenine, 2-methyl-3-hydroxy-5-formylpyridine-4-carboxylate, phosphodimethylethanolamine, 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid, N-acetylglutamine, 3,5-dihydroxyphenylvaleric acid, hydroxyhexanoylglycine, valyl-leucine, leucyl-histidine, oleamide, 9,12,13-trihydroxyoctadecenoic acid, stearidonyl carnitine and squalene. Differences of metabolite profiles of human urine could be identified by gold nanoparticle-enhanced target (AuNPET) LDI MS method and used for the detection of renal cancer.

Photoinduced Electron Transfer-Promoted Reactions Using Exciplex-Type Organic Photoredox Catalyst Directly Linking Donor and Acceptor Arenes.

Directly linked donor and acceptor arenes, such as phenanthrene/naphthalene/biphenyl and 1,3-dicyanobenzene were found to work as photoredox catalysts in the photoreactions of indene, 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene, and 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid. The new stable organic photocatalyst forms an intramolecular exciplex (excited complex) when irradiated in a polar solvent and shows redox catalyst activity, even at low concentrations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of an intramolecular exciplex working as a redox catalyst.

ASIC3-dependent metabolomics profiling of serum and urine in a mouse model of fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by chronic widespread pain. The pathogenesis of FM remains unclear. No specific biomarkers are available. Animal models of FM may provide an opportunity to explore potential biomarkers in a relative homogenous disease condition. Here, we probed the metabolomics profiles of serum and urine in a mouse model of FM induced by intermittent cold stress (ICS). We focused on the role of acid-sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3) in the metabolomics profiling because ICS treatment induced chronic widespread muscle pain lasting for 1 month in wild-type (Asic3+/+) but not Asic3-knockout (Asic3−/−) mice. Serum and urine samples were collected from both genotypes at different ICS stages, including before ICS (basal level) and post-ICS at days 10 (middle phase, P10) and 40 (recovery phase, P40). Control naïve mice and ICS-induced FM mice differed in 1H-NMR- and LC-MS-based metabolomics profiling. On pathway analysis, the leading regulated pathways in Asic3+/+ mice were taurine and hypotaurine, cysteine and methionine, glycerophospholipid, and ascorbate and aldarate metabolisms, and the major pathways in Asic3−/− mice involved amino acid-related metabolism. Finally, we developed an algorithm for the impactful metabolites in the FM model including cis-aconitate, kynurenate, taurine, pyroglutamic acid, pyrrolidonecarboxylic acid, and 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid in urine as well as carnitine, deoxycholic acid, lysoPC(16:0), lysoPC(20:3), oleoyl-L-carnitine, and trimethylamine N-oxide in serum. Asic3−/− mice were impaired in only muscle allodynia development but not other pain symptoms in the ICS model, so the ASIC3-dependent metabolomics changes could be useful for developing diagnostic biomarkers specific to chronic widespread muscle pain, the core symptom of FM. Further pharmacological validations are needed to validate these metabolomics changes as potential biomarkers for FM diagnosis and/or treatment responses.

Cortisol, cortisone, and 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid as potential plasma biomarkers for early detection of non-small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths in men and women worldwide. Novel diagnostic biomarkers are urgently required to enable the early detection and treatment of lung cancer, and using novel methods to explore tumor-related biomarkers is a hot topic in lung cancer research. The purpose of this study was to use ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) metabolomics analysis technology combined with multivariate data processing methods to identify potential plasma biomarkers for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Plasma samples from 99 NSCLC patients and 112 healthy controls were randomly divided into the screening group and the validation group, respectively. UPLC-MS metabolomics analysis technology combined with multivariate data processing methods were used to identify potential plasma biomarkers for NSCLC. A total of 254 metabolites were detected and validated in plasma. Orthogonal Projections to Latent Structures Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) modeling indicated that 28 endogenous metabolites were present at significantly different levels in patients with NSCLC than healthy controls (variable importance in projection (VIP)>1 and P<0.001 (independent samples t-test) in both the screening group and the validation group). Further analysis revealed that cortisol, cortisone, and 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid had high sensitivity and specificity values as biomarkers for discriminating between NSCLC and healthy controls. Significant associations between specific plasma metabolites and the pathological type or stage of NSCLC were also observed. Metabolomics has the potential to distinguish between NSCLC patients and healthy controls, and may reveal new plasma biomarkers for the early detection of NSCLC.

Phenylpropionamides, Piperidine, and Phenolic Derivatives from the Fruit of Ailanthus altissima.

Four novel compounds—two phenylpropionamides, one piperidine, and one phenolic derivatives—were isolated and identified from the fruit of a medicinal plant, Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle (Simaroubaceae), together with one known phenylpropionamide, 13 known phenols, and 10 flavonoids. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated as 2-hydroxy-N-[(2-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl)phenyl]propionamide (1), 2-hydroxy-N-[(2-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-d-glucopyranosyl)phenyl]propionamide (2), 2β-carboxyl-piperidine-4β-acetic acid methyl ester (4), and 4-hydroxyphenyl-1-O-[6-(hydrogen-3-hydroxy-3-methylpentanedioate)]-β-d-glucopyranoside (5) based on spectroscopic analysis. All the isolated compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) using the leaf-disc method. Among the compounds isolated, arbutin (6), β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-arbutin (7), 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid (10), and corilagin (18) showed moderate inhibition against TMV with IC50 values of 0.49, 0.51, 0.27, and 0.45 mM, respectively.

ChemInform Abstract: Palladium‐Catalyzed α‐Arylation of Carboxylic Acid Derivatives with Grignard Reagent.

The reaction of arylacetic acid with aryl halides in the presence of a palladium(0) catalyst proceeds with a Grignard reagent (2 equiv.) to afford diarylated acetic acids. Deprotonation was confirmed by treatment with allyl bromide, which revealed that the use of EtMgCl or tBuMgCl at room temperature to 60 °C resulted in complete deprotonation. After deprotonation of (4-methoxyphenyl)acetic acid under such conditions, the resulting mixture was treated with 4-methoxybromobenzene in the presence of Pd(tBu3P)2 (2 mol-%) as a catalyst to give bis(4-methoxyphenyl)acetic acid in 86 % yield. The reaction with several aryl halides under similar conditions gave the corresponding diarylacetic acids.

A New Simple Equation of State for Calculating Solubility of Solids in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

In this work, a modified Redlich–Kwong (βRK) equation of state has been proposed to calculate the solubilities of twenty solids including Ascorbic acid, Fluoranthene, Propyl gallate, Acenaphthene, Asprin, Climbazole, Cinnamic acid, Triclocarban, 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid, Phenoxyacetic acid, Cholesterol,Cholesteryl butyrate, Cholestrol acetat,Triphenylene, Ibuprofen, Acetanilide, Propanamide, Butanamide, Chrysene and Dodecyl gallate in supercritical carbon dioxide (440 data points). The proposed equation of state has been coupled with the van der Waals zero (vdW0) mixing rule. To distinguish the accuracy of the proposed model, the results of the model have been compared with the results of Peng–Robinson (PR) equation of state in combination with the van der Waals one (vdW1) and the Wong-Sandler (WS) mixing rules. The calculation results showed that the proposed model performed well for reproducing the solubility of these twenty solids in supercritical carbon dioxide with absolute average relative deviation (AARD) = 5.7 %.

Metal-free organic dyes containing thiadiazole unit for dye-sensitized solar cells: a combined experimental and theoretical study

We have designed and synthesized four new metal free D–A–π–A type dyes (9–12) with variations in their acceptor/anchor groups. The four dyes carry tert-butyl substituted triphenylamine as donor, thiadiazole as acceptor and bithiophene as π-spacer. Cyanoacetic acid, rhodanine-3-acetic acid, 2-(4-methoxyphenyl)acetic acid and 2-phenylacetic acid are used as acceptor/anchor groups, respectively in the dyes 9–12. The acceptor/anchor effect on their photophysical, electrochemical and photovoltaic properties was investigated. The dyes exhibited good power conversion efficiency ranging from 1.95–4.12%. Among the four dyes, 9 showed the best photovoltaic performance: short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 8.50 mA cm−2, open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 645 mV and fill factor (FF) of 0.75, corresponding to an overall conversion efficiency of 4.12% under standard global AM 1.5 solar light conditions.

Synthesis and evaluation of the cytotoxicity of a series of 1,3,4-thiadiazole based compounds as anticancer agents.

Nowadays, cancer is an important public health problem in all countries. Limitations of current chemotherapy for neoplastic diseases such as severe adverse reactions and tumor resistance to the chemotherapeutic drugs have been led to a temptation for focusing on the discovery and development of new compounds with potential anticancer activity. A new series of 1,3,4-thiadiazole-derived compounds (3a-3l) were synthesized. N-(5-Mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)-2-(4-methoxyphenyl) acetamide (2) was prepared through direct amidation of 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid (2) with 5-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-thiol using EDC (N-Ethyl-N-dimethylaminopropyl carbodiimide) and HOBt (Hydroxybenzotriazole). Then, various derivatives of benzyl chloride containing electron withdrawing and electron donating moieties were reacted with compound 2 to prepare compounds 3a-3l. In vitro cytotoxicity assessment using MTT method was applied and results are presented as IC50. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by (1)H-NMR and IR spectroscopy. Some of the synthesized compounds were also characterized using MS spectroscopy. Related melting points were also recorded. According to the obtained data from MTT assay, all compounds (3a-3l) demonstrated a higher cytotoxic activity against MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line in comparison with other cell lines. It is notable that four synthesized compounds 3h (IC50= 11 ± 0.18 µM), 3j (IC50= 10 ± 0.39 µM), 3k (IC50= 11 ± 0.77 µM) and 3l (IC50= 8 ± 0.69 µM) exhibited higher cytotoxic activity against MDA-MB-231 cell line compared to imatinib (IC50= 20 ± 0.69 µM) as the reference drug.

Synthesis, characterization and in vitro biological studies of titanocene(IV) derivatives containing different carboxylato ligands

Several titanocene(IV) complexes with different carboxylato ligands such as 3-methoxyphenylacetic acid (3-mpa-COOH), 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid (4-mpa-COOH), 1,4-benzodioxane-6-carboxylic acid (bdo-COOH), 2,5-dimethyl-3-furoic acid (dmf-COOH) and 4-(4-morpholinyl)benzoic acid (mbz-COOH) have been synthesized. All the novel titanocene(IV) carboxylate complexes have been characterized by traditional spectroscopic methods, with the molecular structures of [Ti(η5-C5H5)2(OOC-dmf)2] (7) and [Ti(η5-C5H4Me)2(OOC-dmf)2] (8) being determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Complexes were tested against the tumour cell line A2780 (ovarian cancer) and showed notable cytotoxicity. In addition, a study of the interaction of 7 and 8 with DNA (probably one of the biological target-molecules of the titanocene derivatives) monitored by UV–visible spectroscopy has been carried out.

Ultrasound-assisted third-liquid phase-transfer catalyzed esterification of potassium 4-methoxyphenylacetate by dual-site phase-transfer catalyst

The catalytic esterification of potassium 4-methoxyphenylacetate to synthesize 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid butyl ester (an ether–ester compound) by ultrasound-assisted third-liquid phase-transfer catalysis (U-TLPTC) using the prepared dual-site phase transfer catalyst 1,4-bis(tributylammoniomethyl)benzene dibromide (BTBAMBB) was investigated. The catalyst BTBAMBB was synthesized from p-xylylene dibromide and tributylamine, and the catalytic intermediate was also synthesized to verify the reaction mechanism. The third-liquid phase containing more than 50% of the added catalyst was formed by introducing BTBAMBB, potassium 4-methoxyphenylacetate and a critical amount of NaCl in the aqueous phase. Without using catalyst, the reaction system was liquid–liquid type and the product was not observed. With BTBAMBB in liquid–liquid system the product yield was only 39.3% at 70°C in 4h of reaction even under sonication (28kHz/300W), but was increased to 94.2% by forming the third-liquid phase with NaCl at the same reaction conditions. The green process to synthesize ether–ester by U-TLPTC was developed with good catalytic efficiency of dual-site phase-transfer catalyst.

Hydrolysis of 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid butyl ester under liquid–liquid biphasic phase transfer condition and their kinetics

Hydrolysis of 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid butyl ester (MPABE) with aqueous potassium hydroxide and catalyzed by tetrabutylammonium bromide in chlorobenzene was investigated in this work. Hydrolysis reaction is greatly enhanced using tetrabutylammonium bromide in the presence of potassium hydroxide in an organic solvent/aqueous solution two-phase medium. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the kinetic behavior, mechanism, and activation energy of the reaction system. Influence of experimental parameters viz., stirring speed, amount of catalyst, different solvents, amount of potassium hydroxide, different inorganic salts, different phase transfer catalysts and temperature on rate of hydrolysis is presented. A rational mechanism for the hydrolysis is proposed according to the experimental evidence.

Anticancer activity of dinuclear gallium(III) carboxylate complexes

The reaction of 3-methoxyphenylacetic acid, 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid, mesitylthioacetic acid, 2,5-dimethyl-3-furoic acid and 1,4-benzodioxane-6-carboxylic acid with trimethylgallium (1:1) yielded the dimeric complexes [Me2Ga(μ-O2CCH2C6H4-3-OMe)]2 (1), [Me2Ga(μ-O2CCH2C6H4-4-OMe)]2 (2), [Me2Ga(μ-O2CCH2SMes)]2 (3) (Mes=2,4,6-Me3C6H2), [Me2Ga{μ-O2C(Fur)}]2 (4) (Fur=2,5-dimethylfuran) and [Me2Ga{μ-O2C(Bdo)}]2 (5) (Bdo=1,4-benzodioxane) respectively. The molecular structure of 5 was determined by X-ray diffraction studies. The cytotoxic activity of the gallium(III) complexes (1–5) was tested against human tumor cell lines 8505C anaplastic thyroid cancer, A253 head and neck tumor, A549 lung carcinoma, A2780 ovarian cancer, DLD-1 colon carcinoma and compared with that of cisplatin. Taking into account the standard deviation, there is no significant difference in the activity for any of the compounds in any cell line. However, complex 5 presents the best IC50 value against A253 head and neck tumor (6.6±0.2μM), while complex 3 seems to be the most active against A2780 ovarian cancer (12.0±0.4μM) and marginally on DLD-1 colon carcinoma (12.4±0.1μM).