Structure-activity studies of bioreductive anti-cancer agents

Abstract

Bioreductive agents are an important class of anti-cancer drugs. The role of functional groups in modulating bioreductive drug activation by either DT-diaphorase or NADPH:cytochrome P-450 reductase was studied. 2-(Di(chloroethyl)amino)-1,4-benzoquinone, BM was used as a model bioreductive. Three analogs of BM were studied: 5-methoxy-2-(di(chloroethyl)amino)-1,4-benzoquinone (MBM); 5-chloro-2-(di(chloroethyl)amino)-1,4-benzoquinone (CBM); 6-phenyl-2(di(chloroethyl)amino)-1,4-benzoquinone (PBM). MBM was chosen to illustrate the effect of an electron releasing group, CBM was chosen to illustrate the effect of an electron withdrawing group, while PBM was chosen to illustrate the effect of a sterically bulky group. The cytotoxicities of the BM analogs were measured in H661 cells, human non-small cell lung carcinoma cell line and in SK-MEL-28, a human melanoma cell line, in the presence and absence, of dicoumarol, an inhibitor of DT-diaphorase. The role of a methoxy group in reversing the effect of DT-diaphorase on the cytotoxic activity of BM and MBM was studied. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)