Xenobiochemic specificity of the deoxyribonucleic acid interaction with some cytostatic chemotherapeutics

Abstract

The mostly recommended methods in oncotherapy are the surgical intervention, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy or a combination between them. The chemotherapy consists in the use of various drugs among which the most important are : the alkylating agents, antimetabolites, steroid hormones, antibiotics, phyto alkaloids, metal based drugs. In this review there are discussed the molecular mechanisms of the interaction of an alkylating cytostatic, i.e. cyclophosphamide (2 bis( -chloroethyl) amino-1-oxa-3-aza-2-phosphocyclohexan-2-oxide) – Cp and of a metal based cytostatic, i.e. cis-platinumum (cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum) - cDDP with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Cyclophosphamide and cis-platinum present similar mechanism of interaction with DNA. Interacting with DNA these cytostatics give rise to mono- and bidentate adducts. The topics are of interest for comparative medicine (veterinary and human medicine). A particular importance arising from the appearance of the DNA-chemotherapeutic adducts is that these compounds can be detected analytically and can provide information on the consequences of the biochemical injury. Detection of DNA adducts is useful not only for the diagnosis of neoplastic diseases, but also for biomonitoring the evolution during chemotherapy.