Isomer-dependent daunomycin release and in vitro antitumour effect of cis-aconityl-daunomycin

Two isomers of cis-aconytil-daunomycin (cAD) were isolated after the reaction of daunomycin with cis-aconitic-anhydride. The structure of the isomers was identified by MS-spectroscopy and 1H and 13C NMR experiments. In contrast with the assumptions described earlier, our results show that the two isomers belong to the cis- and trans-isomers of the α-monoamide of cis-aconityl-daunomycin, respectively. We found that the pH dependent daunomycin release is different for the two isomers. Comparative analysis of the in vitro antitumour effect of the isomers on c26 colon carcinoma and on MDA-MB 435P human breast carcinoma cell lines showed that cAD-1 is more potent than cAD-2, but the extent of differences is tumour cell dependent. The results of this study might be appreciated in the light of the use of acid-labile spacer for the design and preparation of protein/peptide conjugates of drugs by indicating that isomers could possess markedly different biological activity