Studies related to antitumor antibiotics. Part VII. Synthesis of streptonigrin analogues and their single strand scission of DNA

The syntheses of a group of 2-(o-nitrophenyl)- and 2-(o-aminophenyl)-5,8-quinolinediones which are structurally related to the antitumor antibiotic streptonigrin are described. Ambiguities in the position of required nucleophilic displacements are resolved by independent synthesis. The rates of single strand cleavage of PM2 ccc-DNA (covalently-closed circular-DNA) induced by these compounds are compared, which correlates with antitumor activity. The 2-(o-nitrophenyl) derivatives give consistently more rapid DNA cleavage than the 2-(o-aminophenyl) compounds. The autoxidations of the dihydroxyquinolines are subject to selective catalysis by Cu2+ on. 2-(o-Aminophenyl)-7-amino-6-methoxy-5,6-quinolinedione which has a substitution pattern most closely resembling streptonigrin also closely parallels the rate of scission of DNA of the latter in the presence of NADPH.