Calicheamicin gamma 1I: an antitumor antibiotic that cleaves double-stranded DNA site specifically.

Calicheamicin gamma 1I is a recently discovered diyne-ene--containing antitumor antibiotic with considerable potency against murine tumors. In vitro, this drug interacts with double-helical DNA in the minor groove and causes site-specific double-stranded cleavage. It is proposed that the observed cleavage specificity is a result of a unique fit of the drug and DNA followed by the generation of a nondiffusible 1,4-dehydrobenzene--diradical species that initiates oxidative strand scission by hydrogen abstraction on the deoxyribose ring.

Applications of fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry to the maduramicins and other polyether antibiotics.

Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB MS) and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry (FAB MS/MS) were used to study the monovalent glycoside polyether antibiotics maduramicin alpha, beta and delta and the maduramicin alpha salts, their derivatives and degradation products. Also, representative compounds from three major classes of polyether antibiotics were studied: the monovalent polyethers, nigericin and monensin A, the divalent polyether lasalocid A and the monovalent glycoside polyethers septamycin, BL580 delta, etheromycin and carriomycin. The respective FAB fragment and decomposition ions were correlated with the known structures.

Chemistry of maduramicin. II. Decarboxylation, abnormal ketalization and dehydration.

The behavior of the free acid and ammonium salt of maduramicin towards heat and alcohols is examined. In refluxing lower alcohols the free acid material is decarboxylated. In addition a bisketal decarboxylated compound as well as an A-ring monoketal decarboxylated derivative are formed.

Chemistry of maduramicin. I. Salt formation and normal ketalization.

The formation of monovalent and divalent salt complexes of maduramicin is described and the 13C NMR chemical shift assignments of these materials are tabulated and discussed. In the spectrum of the thallium salt, 20 of the 47 signals are split due to the thallium-carbon coupling. Similarly the preparation of both the free acid and the sodium salt complexes of the normal methyl and ethyl ketal derivatives of maduramicin are outlined.