Formaldehyde-Induced DNA Cross-Link of Indolizino[1,2-<i>b</i>]quinolines Derived from the A−D Rings of Camptothecin

Abstract

Camptothecin consists of a lactone E ring adjacent to tetracyclic A-D rings of a planar chromophore, which are essential for topoisomerase I inhibition and DNA interaction. The A-D rings can be exploited to develop DNA-sequence-reading molecules. Indolizino[1,2-b]quinoline derivatives substituted with a piperidinoethyloxy side chain and an aminomethyl function on rings A and D, respectively, were synthesized, and their DNA binding and formaldehyde-mediated bonding properties were investigated.