Interactions of anticancer quinone drugs, aclacinomycin A, adriamycin, carbazilquinone, and mitomycin C, with NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase, xanthine oxidase and oxygen.

The properties of the interactions of anticancer quinone drugs, aclacinomycin A, adriamycin, carbazilquinone, and mitomycin C with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-cytochrome P-450 reductase and xanthine oxidase under anaerobic and aerobic conditions were studied. Km values of NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase for these drugs were in the range of 40-227 microM, and that of deflavo xanthine oxidase in the range of 39-over 200 microM. Under anaerobic conditions, when xanthine was used as an electron donor, deflavo xanthine oxidase catalyzed the reductive glycosidic cleavage reaction of anthracyclines and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide was ineffective as an electron donor. In the electron spin resonance study, the formation of the semiquinone or free radical state of the quinone drugs in both enzyme systems were evidenced. A weak and symmetric signal was obtained from aclacinomycin A, and a symmetric signal from adriamycin was changed into an asymmetric and strong. The hyperfine structure was obtained from carbazilquinone in the oxidase system. In the studies of ultraviolet-visible spectra of the quinone drugs in the reductase system, the spectra of aclacinomycin A and adriamycin were changed to their 7-deoxylaglycones, and the formation of small amounts of the fully reduced form were observed after long incubations. The spectrum of carbazilquinone was changed to the hydroquinone form and mitomycin C was converted into mitosene analogues. Under aerobic conditions, superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide were effectively produced in the presence of anticancer quinone drugs in both enzyme systems. The superoxide-dependent hydroxy radical production, which was measured by ethylene production from methional, was observed in the presence of aclacinomycin A and adriamycin in the deflavo xanthine oxidase system. From these results, the possible reactions in the interactions of anticancer quinone drugs with these enzymes and oxygen are discussed.