adozelesin and carzelesin

Recent work on a number of different classes of anticancer agents that alkylate DNA in the minor groove is reviewed. There has been much work with nitrogen mustards, where attachment of the mustard unit to carrier molecules can change the normal patterns of both regio- and sequence-selectivity, from reaction primarily at most guanine N7 sites in the major groove to a few adenine N3 sites at the 3'-end of poly(A/T) sequences in the minor groove. Carrier molecules discussed for mustards are intercalators, polypyrroles, polyimidazoles, bis(benzimidazoles), polybenzamides and anilinoquinolinium salts. In contrast, similar targeting of pyrrolizidine alkylators by a variety of carriers has little effect of their patterns of alkylation (at the 2-amino group of guanine). Recent work on the pyrrolobenzodiazepine and cyclopropaindolone classes of natural product minor groove binders is also reviewed.

Topics: Alkylating Agents; Animals; Anthramycin; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; Benzofurans; Bisbenzimidazole; Chlorambucil; Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids; Cyclohexenes; Distamycins; DNA; Duocarmycins; Humans; Indoles; Netropsin; Nitrogen Mustard Compounds; Pyrroles; Structure-Activity Relationship

Adozelesin, bizelesin and carzelesin are synthetic cyclopropylpyrroloindole (CPI) analogs, a class of potent antineoplastic agents modeled on the antitumor antibiotic CC-1065, that specifically bind to the minor groove of DNA and preferentially alkylate AT-rich regions. These compounds were evaluated against fresh human tumors in a human tumor colony-forming assay (HTCFA) to assess and to compare their relative antitumor spectra, concentration-response relationships and schedule-dependence. Human tumor colony-forming units were treated with adozelesin and bizelesin at concentrations of 0.02, 0.1 and 0.5 ng/ml as a continuous exposure for 14 days, and to 0.2, 1.0 and 5.0 ng/ml as a 1 h exposure. Carzelesin concentrations were 0.04, 0.2 and 1 ng/ml as a continuous exposure, and 0.6, 3.0 and 15.0 ng/ml as a 1 h exposure. A response was scored if there was 50% or less colony survival. The three analogs had similar antitumor activity against colon carcinoma, kidney carcinoma and melanoma colony-forming units. Adozelesin also displayed activity against both breast and non-small cell lung carcinoma colony-forming units, and carzelesin was active against ovarian carcinoma colony-forming units. Significantly positive concentration-response relationships were apparent with all three agents. Responses increased from below 15% at the lowest concentration to above 45% at the highest concentration for the three drugs on all schedules (p < 0.01). At the highest concentration, the overall response rate was significantly higher (p < 0.01) with carzelesin on the continuous schedule (71%) compared to the 1 h schedule (46%). However, overall response rates for adozelesin and bizelesin were similar on both schedules (1 h/continuous: adozelesin, 67/58%; bizelesin, 49/44%), indicating that adozelesin and bizelesin are less schedule dependent than carzelesin in the HTCFA. These results demonstrate that the CPIs have broad-spectrum activity against human tumor colony-forming units in the HTCFA at very low concentrations, as well as differences with regard to schedule dependence which may help guide the optimal clinical development of these agents.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Benzofurans; Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids; Cyclohexenes; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Duocarmycins; Humans; Indoles; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Urea

Adozelesin and carzelesin are synthetic analogues of the extremely potent antitumor antibiotic CC-1065, which alkylates N3 of adenine in a consensus sequence 5'-(A/T)(A/T)A* (A* is the site of alkylation). We have investigated the DNA sequence selectivity of adozelesin and carzelesin by thermally induced DNA strand cleavage assay using radiolabeled restriction DNA fragments. An analysis of alkylation patterns shows that the consensus sequences for carzelesin and adozelesin have been found to be 5'-(A/T)(A/T)A* and 5'-(A/T)(G/C)(A/T)A*. A new consensus sequence, 5'-(A/T)(A/T)CA*, has been observed to display an additional alkylation site for adozelesin but not for carzelesin. These results indicate that the pattern of sequence selectivity induced by carzelesin is similar but not identical to those induced by adozelesin.

Topics: Adenine; Alkylation; Antineoplastic Agents; Base Sequence; Benzofurans; Consensus Sequence; Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids; Cyclohexenes; DNA; Duocarmycins; Indoles; Molecular Sequence Data; Plasmids; Substrate Specificity

U-73,975 (U-73), U-77,779 (U-77), and U-80,244 (U-80) are analogs of the potent antitumor compound CC-1065. This class of drugs act as alkylating agents binding to DNA preferentially. Using the ATP-chemosensitivity assay, this study was designed to compare the potencies of U-73, U-77, and U-80 with cisplatin (DDP) or adriamycin (DXR) in 10 gynecologic cancer cell lines. The mean IC50s were: U-73, 0.173 +/- 0.115 ng/ml; U-77, 0.650 +/- 0.209 ng/ml; U-80, 3.0 +/- 3.0 ng/ml; DDP, 4.40 +/- 2.83 micrograms/ml; and DXR, 0.286 +/- 0.040 micrograms/ml. U-73 appears the most potent analog, being 10(3) to 10(4) times more cytotoxic than DDP and DXR. U-77 and U-80 were somewhat comparable, demonstrating approximately 10(2) to 10(3) greater potency than DDP and DXR. All the cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cell lines were sensitive to U-73, with decreasing sensitivity to U-77, U-80, DXR, and DDP in that order. U-73 as well as the other analogs appear promising chemotherapeutic agents.

Topics: Adenosine Triphosphate; Antineoplastic Agents; Benzofurans; Cisplatin; Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids; Cyclohexenes; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Doxorubicin; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Duocarmycins; Endometrial Neoplasms; Female; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Indoles; Ovarian Neoplasms; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Urea; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms