Antiproliferative, DNA intercalation and redox cycling activities of dioxonaphtho[2,3-d]imidazolium analogs of YM155: A structure-activity relationship study

The anticancer agent YM155 is widely investigated as a specific survivin suppressant. More recently, YM155 was found to induce DNA damage and this has raised doubts as to whether survivin is its primary target. In an effort to assess the contribution of DNA damage to the anticancer activity of YM155, several analogs were prepared and evaluated for antiproliferative activity on malignant cells, participation in DNA intercalation and free radical generation by redox cycling. The intact positively charged scaffold was found to be essential for antiproliferative activity and intercalation but was less critical for redox cycling where the minimal requirement was a pared down bicyclic quinone. Side chain requirements at the N(1) and N(3) positions of the scaffold were more alike for redox cycling and intercalation than antiproliferative activity, underscoring yet again, the limited structural overlaps for these activities. Furthermore, antiproliferative activities were poorly correlated to DNA intercalation and redox cycling. Potent antiproliferative activity (IC50 9-23 nM), exceeding that of YM155, was found for a minimally substituted methyl analog AB7. Like YM155 and other dioxonaphthoimidazoliums, AB7 was a modest DNA intercalator but with weak redox cycling activity. Thus, the capacity of this scaffold to inflict direct DNA damage leading to cell death may not be significant and YM155 should not be routinely classified as a DNA damaging agent.

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric assay for the light sensitive survivin suppressant sepantronium bromide (YM155) in mouse plasma

A quantitative bioanalytical liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) assay for sepantronium bromide (YM155), an inhibitor of survivin, was developed and validated. Under reduced light exposure, plasma samples were pre-treated using protein precipitation with acetonitrile containing AT7519 as internal standard. After dilution with water, the extract was directly injected into the reversed-phase liquid chromatographic system. The eluate was transferred into the electrospray interface with positive ionization and compounds detected in the selected reaction monitoring mode of a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The assay was validated in a 0.5-100ng/ml calibration range with r(2)=0.9981±0.0007 using double logarithmic calibration (n=5). Within day precisions (n=6) were 3.6-8.8% and between day (3 days; n=18) precisions 6.5-11.1%. Accuracies were between 92 and 111% for the whole calibration range. The light sensitive drug sepantronium was sufficiently stable under all relevant analytical conditions. Finally, the assay was successfully used to determine plasma drug levels in mice after administration of sepantronium bromide by continuous infusion from subcutaneously implanted osmotic pumps.