The interaction of Fe(III), adriamycin and daunomycin with nucleotides and DNA and their effects on cell growth of fibroblasts (NIH-3T3)

The interactions of the iron complexes of the anthracycline antitumour drugs daunomycin (DN) and adriamycin (ADM) with the mononucleotide AMP, herring sperm DNA, plasmic pBR322 and immortalized 3T3 fibroblasts were studied. By means of Mössbauer spectroscopy it was demonstrated that DNA is a powerful ferric iron chelator as compared with AMP, which is not able to compete with DN or acetohydroxamic acid for ferric iron. The difference between AMP and DNA is postulated to be based on the chelate effect. The Mössbauer spectra of the ternary Fe-anthracycline-DNA systems differ from Fe-anthracycline binary complexes, indicating rearrangement reactions. Dialysis experiments clearly disclose the f…