DNA-DAMAGE FOLLOWING COMBINATION OF RADIATION WITH THE BIOREDUCTIVE DRUG AQ4N - POSSIBLE SELECTIVE TOXICITY TO OXIC AND HYPOXIC TUMOR-CELLS

AQ4N de)ethyl]amino}5,8-dihydroxyanthracene-9,10-dione) is a novel bio reductive agent that can be reduced to a stable, DNA-affinic compound, AQ4. The alkaline comet assay was used to evaluate DNA damage induced by AQ4N and radiation. Cells prepared from freshly excised T50/80 mur ine tumours were shown to have the ability to reduce AQ4N to a DNA-dam aging agent; this had disappeared within 24 h of excision. When T50/80 tumours implanted in BDF mice were exposed to radiation in vivo a con siderable amount of DNA damage was present in tumours excised immediat ely. Minimal levels of DNA damage were detectable in tumours excised a fter 2-5 h. AQ4N given 30 min before radiation had no appreciable infl uence on this effect and AQ4N alone caused only a small amount of dama ge. When AQ4N and radiation were combined an increasing number of dama ged cells were seen in tumours excised 24-96 h after irradiation. This was interpreted as evidence of the continued presence of AQ4, or AQ4- induced damage, which was formed in cells hypoxic at the time of admin istration of AQ4N. AQ4, a potent topoisomerase II inhibitor, would be capable of damaging cells recruited into the cell cycle following radi ation damage to the well-oxygenated cells of the tumour. The kinetics of the expression of the DNA damage is consistent with this hypothesis and shows that AQ4 has persistent activity in vivo.