F 11782, a novel catalytic inhibitor of topoisomerases I and II, induces atypical, yet cytotoxic DNA double-strand breaks in CHO-K1 cells.

F 11782, or 2'', 3''-bispentafluorophenoxyacetyl-4, 6'-ethylidene-beta-D glucoside of 4'-phosphate-4'-dimethylepipodopliyllotoxin 2N-methyl glucamine salt, is a novel fluorinated lipophylic epipodophylloid which has shown marked antitumour activity in vivo. In vitro studies have demonstrated a dual catalytic inhibitory activity of F 11782 against topoisomerases and I and II by an original mechanism involving interference with the DNA binding activity of these enzymes, without DNA intercalating properties. Nevertheless, the precise mechanism(s) of cytotoxicity of F 11782 remains unclear and recent studies have suggested that this cytotoxicity might result, at least in part, from an induction of DNA-strand breaks without stabilisation of cleavable complex. In this study, DNA damage induced by F 11782 and its repair by non-homologous recombination was investigated in CHO-K1 cells. The results suggest that the nature of such damage differs from that induced by etoposide, a structurally-related topoisomerase II poison and identify a high level of stability of the damage induced which may account, at least in part, for the superior preclinical anti-tumour activity of F 11782.