Comparative study on the mutagenicity of three structurally related substituted aniline mustards in the Salmonella/microsome assay

Synthesis and iodine-125 labelling of glucuronide compounds for combined chemo- and radiotherapy of cancer

Some types of cancer cells have high levels of beta-glucuronidase activity. This enzyme is able to deglucuronidate a variety of glucuronide derivatives on the cell membrane. Either O- or N-glucuronides can be selectively incorporated into the cancer cells. If the aglycone is cytotoxic, the glucuronide can potentially be used as a selective anti-cancer drug in cancers with high levels of beta-glucuronidase activity. Nevertheless, in vitro studies carried out by various investigators have shown that the cytotoxicities of several glucuronides in cancer cells are not sufficiently high for their use as effective anti-cancer drugs. For this reason, we have synthesized glucuronide compounds radiolabelled with iodine-125 combining the radiotoxicity of this Auger electron emitter with the chemotoxicity of the aglycone portion of the glucuronide.

Mutagenicity of four homo-aza-steroidal esters of m-N,N-bis(2-chloroethyl)aminocinnamic acid in the Ames test

Four new chemicals, the homo-aza-steroidal esters of m-N,N-bis(2-chloroethyl)aminocinnamic acid, originaly synthesized to be used as antineoplastic agents, were tested for their mutagenic activity in the Ames test. 3 beta-Hydroxy-13 alpha-amino-13,17-seco-5-androsten-17-oic-13,17- lactam ester (ACALE3) and 3 alpha-hydroxy-13 alpha-amino-13,17-seco-5 alpha-androstan-17-oic-13,17-lactam ester of m-N,N-bis(2-chloroethyl)aminocinnamic acid (ACALE4) were found to induce base-pair substitutions, causing dose-dependent increases in his+ revertants in strains TA100 and TA1535, while no dose-dependent relations were established when 3 beta-hydroxy-13 alpha-amino-13,17-seco-5 alpha-androstan-17-oic-13,17-lactam ester (ACALE1) and 17 beta-hydroxy-3-aza-A-homo-4 alpha-androsten-4-one ester of m-N,N-bis(2-chloroethyl)aminocinnamic acid (ACALE2) were tested. The presence of metabolic activation enzymes in the test system had no effect in his+ revertants in strains TA100 and TA1535. The chemicals tested although having the same alkylating moiety and a similar chemical structure exhibited different mutagenic activities.