Amplification of bleomycin-mediated degradation of DNA.

Three simple and independent tests have been introduced for studying the effect of DNA intercalating compounds on the bleomycin-mediated digestion of DNA in vitro. These methods are based on hyperchromic changes of DNA solution, changes in viscosity of DNA solution, and HPLC quantitative analysis of the four bases released from digested DNA. All three tests give comparable results. However, the viscometric method is technically the simplest and at the same time the most sensitive. The amplification of the bleomycin-mediated degradation of DNA by three unfused heteropolyaromatic intercalator molecules, namely N-[2''-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-4-thien-2'-ylpyrimidin-2-amine (1N), N,N-dimethyl-2-[(4'-thien-2''-ylpyrimidin-2'-yl)thio] ethylamine (1S), and newly synthesized 2,5-bis[2'-[[2''-(dimethylamino)ethyl]thio]pyrimidin-4'yl]thiophene (2) correlates well with the respective DNA binding constants for these compounds and is concentration dependent. The amplification activity of these compounds increases with increasing concentrations. The strongly binding compound 2 is the best amplifier of bleomycin in vitro found so far. Fused heteropolyaromatic systems, like ethidium bromide, are modest amplifiers of bleomycin at low concentrations but strongly inhibit the bleomycin chemistry at high concentrations.