Different features of the DNA binding mode of antitumor cis-amminedichlorido(cyclohexylamine)platinum(II) (JM118) and cisplatin in vitro.

cis-Amminedichlorido(cyclohexylamine)platinum(II) (JM118) is an antitumor Pt(II) analogue of cisplatin exhibiting considerably higher activity than cisplatin in human tumor cells. JM118 is also the major metabolite of the first orally administered Pt(IV) drug satraplatin. In an effort to design improved platinum antitumor agents, it is important to elucidate the biochemical factors that affect the cytotoxic properties of existing platinum drugs. Since DNA is considered the major pharmacological target of platinum drugs, the objective in the present work was to understand more fully the DNA binding mode of antitumor JM118. We examined the rate of aquation of the first chloride of bifunctional JM118 and found that it was considerably lower than that of cisplatin; consequently, the rate of the reaction of JM118 with DNA was lower compared to cisplatin. The influence of global modification by JM118 and its major site-specific adducts on DNA conformation by biochemical methods was investigated as well. While examination of the global modification revealed in several cases no substantial differences in the lesions induced by JM118 and cisplatin, DNA bending due to the 1,2-GG intrastrand adduct of JM118 was lower than that of cisplatin. The bending angles afforded by the adducts of JM118 were only slightly affected by the orientation of the cyclohexylamine ligand toward the 3' or 5' direction of the duplex. We also used in vitro assays that make it possible to monitor DNA repair synthesis by cell-free extracts and DNA-protein cross-linking to probe properties of DNA adducts of JM118. These results showed a higher DNA-protein cross-linking efficiency of JM118 and a less efficient removal from DNA of the adducts of JM118 in comparison with cisplatin. Thus, the results of the present work provide additional evidence that DNA binding of JM118 is in several aspects different from that of conventional cisplatin.