Synthesis and biological properties of actinomycin D chromophoric analogues substituted at carbon 7 with aziridine and cyclopropyl functions.

The growing importance of functionalized tricyclic rings, e.g., cyclopropyl and aziridine, in numerous organic biomolecules led us to develop syntheses of novel actinomycin D (AMD) analogues substituted with aziridine and cyclopropyl functions. Reaction of 7-hydroxyactinomycin D with 1-aziridineethyl iodide and bromomethylcycloporopane afforded the desired 7-[2-(1-aziridinyl)ethoxy] and cyclopropylmethoxy analogues, respectively. Calf thymus DNA binding of these analogues was comparable to that of AMD as examined by UV-vis difference spectral measurements, CD techniques, and relaxation of supercoiled closed circular SV40 DNA, indicating an intercalative mode of binding to the DNA duplex. Thermal denaturation of DNA experiments employing higher temperatures than room temperature exhibit a thermal lability of the DNA analogue complexes, suggestive of a probable covalent bond formation with DNA bases. The analogues were found to be 1/4-1/40 as cytotoxic to human lymphoblastic CCRF-CEM leukemia and B16 melanoma cells in vitro as AMD, with ID50 values in the nanomolar concentration range.

Synthesis and biological properties of actinomycin D chromophoric analogues substituted at the 7-carbon with aziridine and aminopropoxy functions.

The growing importance of functionalized aziridines in numerous organic biomolecules led us to develop syntheses of novel actinomycin D (AMD) analogues substituted with an aziridine. Reaction of 7-hydroxyactinomycin D with 2-(iodomethyl)aziridine produced the desired 7-(2-aziridinylmethoxy)actinomycin analogue. In an attempt to develop an alternate route to this analogue, 7-(2-azido-3-iodopropoxy)actinomycin was subjected to reduction with dimethylamine-borane complex; the reaction did not produce the three-membered aziridine; instead the reaction product was found to be linear 7-(2-aminopropoxy)actinomycin D. Calf-thymus-DNA binding of these analogues was comparable to that of AMD as examined by UV-visible difference spectral measurements, thermal denaturation of DNA, and CD techniques. The analogues were found to be about 1/4 to 1/30 as cytotoxic to human lymphoblastic CCRF-CEM leukemia and B16 melanoma cells in vitro as AMD.