Esters in position 20 of camptothecins

A compound of Formula (I)

• where:
• A is saturated or unsaturated straight or branched C1-C8 alkyl, C3-C10 cycloalkyl, straight or branched C3-C10 cycloalkyl-C1-C8 alkyl;
• n and m are both 0;
• Y is 4-trimethylammonium-3-hydroxybutanoyl, 4-trimethylammonium-butanoyl both in the form of inner salt and in the form of a salt with an anion of a pharmaceutically acceptable acid;
• R1 is hydrogen or a —C(R5)═N—O—R4 group, in which R4 is hydrogen or a straight or branched C1-C5 alkyl or C1-C5 alkenyl group, or a C3-C10 cycloalkyl group, or a straight or branched (C3-C10) cycloalkyl-(C1-C5) alkyl group, or a C6-C14 aryl group, or a straight or branched (C6-C14) aryl-(C1-C5) alkyl group, or a heterocyclic group or a straight or branched heterocyclo-(C1-C5) alkyl group, said heterocyclic group containing at least one heteroatom selected from an atom of nitrogen, optionally substituted with a (C1-C5) alkyl group, and/or an atom of oxygen and/or of sulphur;
• said alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, aryl, aryl-alkyl, heterocyclic or heterocyclo-alkyl groups may optionally be substituted with one or more groups selected from:
• halogen, hydroxy, C1-C5 alkyl, C1-C5 alkoxy, phenyl, cyano, nitro, —NR6R7, where R6 and R7, which may be the same or different, are hydrogen, straight or branched (C1-C5) alkyl, the —COOH group or one of its pharmaceutically acceptable esters;
• or the —CONR8R9 group, where R8 and R9, which may be the same or different, are hydrogen, straight or branched (C1-C5) alkyl;
• or R4 is a (C6-C10) aroyl or (C6-C10) arylsulphonyl residue, optionally substituted with one or more groups selected from:
• halogen, hydroxy, straight or branched C1-C5 alkyl, straight or branched C1-C5 alkoxy, phenyl, cyano, nitro, —NR10R11, where R10 and R11, which may be the same or different, are hydrogen, straight or branched C1-C5 alkyl;
• or R4 is a polyaminoalkyl residue;
• or R4 is a glycosyl residue;
• R5 is hydrogen, straight or branched C1-C5 alkyl, straight or branched C1-C5 alkenyl, C3-C10 cycloalkyl, straight or branched (C3-C10) cycloalkyl-(C1-C5) alkyl, C6-C14 aryl, straight or branched (C6-C14) aryl-(C1-C5) alkyl;
• R2 and R3, which may be the same or different, are hydrogen, hydroxyl, straight or branched C1-C5 alkoxy;
• the N1-oxides, the racemic mixtures, their individual enantiomers, their individual diastereoisomers, their mixtures, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts.