2-Amino-6-methoxypurine arabinoside: an agent for T-cell malignancies.

Earlier studies have shown guanine arabinoside (ara-G) is an effective agent against growth of T-cell lines and freshly isolated human T-leukemic cells. However, poor water solubility of ara-G limits clinical use. 2-Amino-6-methoxypurine arabinoside (506U) is a water-soluble prodrug converted to ara-G by adenosine deaminase. 506U is not a substrate for deoxycytidine kinase, adenosine kinase, or purine nucleoside phosphorylase and is phosphorylated by mitochondrial deoxyguanosine kinase at a rate 4% that of ara-G phosphorylation. Mitochondrial DNA polymerase was the least sensitive to ara-GTP inhibition of the five human DNA polymerases tested. [3H]506U was anabolized to ara-G 5'-phosphates in CEM cells but not to phosphorylated metabolites of 506U. 506U was selective for transformed T over B cells and also inhibited growth in two of three monocytic lines tested. 506U given i.v. to cynomolgus monkeys was rapidly converted to ara-G; the ara-G had a half-life of approximately 2 h. 506U had in vivo dose-dependent efficacy against human T-cell tumors in immunodeficient mice. A Phase 1 trial of 506U against refractory hematological malignancies is now in progress at two study sites.