From the battlefield to the bladder: The development of thioTEPA

DNA Adducts in Cancer Chemotherapy

DNA adducting drugs, including alkylating agents and platinum-containing drugs, are prominent in cancer chemotherapy. Their mechanisms of action involve direct interaction with DNA, resulting in the formation of DNA addition products known as DNA adducts. While these adducts are well-accepted to induce cancer cell death, understanding of their specific chemotypes and their role in drug therapy response remain limited. This perspective aims to address this gap by investigating the metabolic activation and chemical characterization of DNA adducts formed by the U.S. FDA-approved drugs. Moreover, clinical studies on DNA adducts as potential biomarkers for predicting patient responses to drug efficacy are examined. The overarching goal is to engage the interest of medicinal chemists and stimulate further research into the use of DNA adducts as biomarkers for guiding personalized cancer treatment.

On the Lewis Basicity of Phosphoramides: A Critical Examination of Their Donor Number through Comparison of Enthalpies of Adduct Formation with SbCl5 and BF3

The Lewis basicity of a series of phosphoryl compounds was examined using DFT and ab initio methods, including solvation effects. The enthalpies of adduct formation with two archetypal Lewis acids, antimony pentachloride and boron trifluoride, used to define the donor number DN and the BF₃ affinity (BF₃ A) respectively, were examined. The BF₃ adducts allow the use of the high-accuracy G4 approach, whereas for SbCl₅ adducts, three different DFT formalisms, including empirical dispersion corrections, were used because the G4 formalism is not available for third-row elements. For a comparison with experimental data, solvation effects were taken into account by using the polarizable continuum model. The experimental BF₃ affinities were well reproduced by G4 calculations when including PCM solvation. Conversely, comparisons of our calculated values and experimental results reported in the literature show that SbCl₅ enthalpies for phosphoramides are in error. In particular the DN for HMPA should be revised.