Mechanism of deoxyribonucleic acid breakage induced by 4'-(9-acridinylamino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide and copper: role for cuprous ion and oxygen free radicals.

4'-(9-Acridinylamino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide (mAMSA) interacts with Cu(II) ion, as indicated by changes in the mAMSA absorption spectrum induced by Cu(II). The spectral changes are due to the oxidation of mAMSA by Cu(II), resulting in an oxidized mAMSA product and Cu(I). Two lines of evidence for the oxidation of mAMSA are as follows: (1) The spectral changes induced by manganese oxide, an oxidizing agent, were similar to those induced by Cu(II), and (2) the Cu(II)-induced spectral changes were reversed by a reducing agent, NADPH. Thin-layer chromatographic studies showed the oxidized mAMSA product to be N1-methylsulfonyl-N4-(9-acridinyl)-3-methoxy-2,5-cyclohexadiene-1, 4-diimine (mAQDI). The involvement of Cu(I) in the reaction was demonstrated by the use of two Cu(I)-specific chelating agents, neocuproine and bathocuproine. Neocuproine or bathocuproine chelated the Cu(I) ions in the mixture, producing Cu(neocuproine)2+ complex or Cu(bathocuproine)2+ complex. The stoichiometry of mAMSA-Cu(II) interactions was determined by titrating the mAMSA-Cu(II) mixtures with bathocuproine. Job plots of the absorbance at 480 nm showed a clear end point at a Cu(II)/mAMSA ratio of 1.5/1, indicating that 1.5 equiv of Cu(II) reacts with 1 equiv of mAMSA to produce 1.5 equiv of Cu(I). Cu(I) plays an important role in the mAMSA-Cu(II)-induced DNA breakage, since in the presence of neocuproine the DNA breakage is inhibited. Up to 200 microM, Cu(I) by itself is virtually ineffective, in contrast to the mixture of mAMSA and Cu(II).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)