Characteristics of the interaction of anthrapyrazole anticancer agents with deoxyribonucleic acids: structural requirements for DNA binding, intercalation, and photosensitization.

The binding constants for interaction of several novel anthra[1,9-cd]pyrazol-6(2H)-ones (anthrapyrazoles) with DNA have been determined by an ethidium displacement method. The apparent binding constants range from less than 2 X 10(6) to 2.7 X 10(8) M-1. The binding is influenced not only by the nature of the side chains but also by the number and position of hydroxyl groups on the chromophore. Unwinding angles, determined by a topoisomerase I assay, ranged from 0 degrees to 29.2 degrees. The deshydroxy compound 1 gave the highest unwinding angle, and both substitution of hydroxyl groups in the chromophore and alterations in the side chains decrease the unwinding angle, consistent with a decreased or partial intercalation. Representative anthrapyrazoles cause an increase in sonicated DNA viscosity as expected for intercalators. Spectrophotometric examination of the binding of compound 1 to DNAs of different base composition show that the apparent binding to GC is approximately 3 times that of AT, a result which was paralleled by thermal denaturation studies. Certain of the anthrapyrazoles exhibit marked visible light photosensitization and induce DNA single-strand breakage upon illumination in the presence of NADH. The essential structural requirement for photosensitizing properties with these agents was the absence of hydroxyl groups in the chromophore. By employing 32P-labeled DNA of known sequence, it was possible to examine the anthrapyrazole 1-photosensitized cleavage of DNA at the individual base level employing denaturing polyacrylamide sequencing gels. Smooth sequence neutral photosensitized cleavage of DNA is observed analogous to hydroxyl radical "footprinting."