Analogues of amonafide and azonafide with novel ring systems.

Three new types of amonafide and azonafide analogues were synthesized and screened in a panel of human solid tumor cells and murine L1210 leukemia cells. The structural types included tetrahydroazonafides, which have the naphthalene chromophore of amonafide within the anthracene nucleus of azonafide; phenanthrene analogues, in which the linear anthracene nucleus is replaced by the bent phenanthrene nucleus; and azaphenanthrenes. The tetrahydroazonafides were generally intermediate in potencies between amonafide and azonafide against the tumor cells, but some of them had high potencies against the L1210 cells and were more potent against the MDR strain than the sensitive strain. The phenanthrene and azaphenanthrene analogues showed no improvement on the potencies of the anthracenes.