Cell surface actions of adriamycin.

Adriamycin has a vast range of reported actions on the structural and functional properties of cells. This review summarizes the literature on the ability of the drug to modulate the cell surface membrane and attempts to address the question of how such actions could be linked to cytotoxicity. In addition, we consider the use of polymer immobilization of adriamycin to separate intracellular from plasma membrane effects of the drug, and show how this approach has been helpful in interpreting the pharmacology of adriamycin. Finally, a range of biophysical and spectroscopic approaches to defining the molecular details of adriamycin-bilayer interactions is surveyed, and the results used to discuss a model for how this antineoplastic agent binds to membranes.