DNA damage by anthracycline drugs in human leukemia cells.

Leukemia cells from 4 acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) and 1 acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) patients were incubated with a set of 6 anthracycline agents: Adriamycin (Am), 4'-epi-Adriamycin (4'-epi-Am), daunorubicin (Dm), 4-demethoxy-daunorubicin (4-dDm), carminomycin (Cm) and N-trifluoroacetyl-Am-14-valerate (AD32). Cells were assayed for drug uptake after incubation for 2 h, and for DNA damage and drug retention 4 h later. Uptake and retention patterns were characteristic for each agent and fairly uniform for the different cell populations. In contrast, profiles of the amount of DNA damage produced reflected striking differences in each population of cells. These individual responses raise the possibility that leukemic cells resistant to one anthracycline may yet be sensitive to another.