Polyamine conjugates as selective NMDA inhibitors and anti-cancer drugs

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to polyamine compounds and more particularly to tetraamine derivatives and their use as N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) inhibitors for therapeutic treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, other neurodegenerative disorders, their use as anticancer agents and their use as a vector for the enhancement of anti-cancer drug activity.

BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART

Neurodegenerative disorders and cancer are major causes of illness and death in the western world. Healing treatment or therapy for neurodegenerative disorders, such as brain stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease have eluded the medical and pharmaceutical industries for decades. A key finding is that oxygen-deprived nerve cells produce high levels of glutamate, which stimulate a receptor called an N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA), known for its ability to cause neuron cell death. Thus, the ability to control the activity of NMDA receptors has become the focus of neuroscience research.

With regard to cancer therapies, one of the major shortcomings of current cancer therapies is the non-selective delivery of the antineoplastic drug to both targeted tumor cells and healthy cells. Enhanced selectivity of such drugs could diminish their associated toxicity by reducing their uptake by healthy cells. Moreover, selective delivery would increase drug potency by lowering the effective dosage required to kill the affected cell type. Vectored systems, which have enhanced affinity for cancer cells would be an important advance in cancer therapy.

Polyamines are naturally occurring amines, which form polycations in vivo. These stabilize DNA architectures and are cellular growth factors. All cells contain some form of the native polyamines: putrescine, spermidine or spermine. Rapidly dividing cells (such as cancer cells) require large amounts of polyamines, and cells can either biosynthesize or import these essential growth factors. Many tumor cell lines have been shown to have very high levels of polyamines and an active polyamine transporter.

Polyamine structures have been exploited for use in various drug strategies, such as demonstrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. Bergeron, 6,342,534 and 5,866,613; Prakash, 5,109,024; Iwata 6,319,956 and Published application 2002/0067472 A1; Bowlin 5,719,193; and, Klosel 6,281,371 B1 and published document "A Comparison of Structure-Activity Relationships between Spermidine and Spermine Analogue Antineoplastics," by Bergeron, R. J.; Feng, Y.; Weimar, W. R.; McManis, J. S.; Dimova, H.; Porter, C.; Raisler, B.; Phanstiel IV, O. J. Med. Chem. 1997, 40, No. 10, 1475-1494.

Bergeron U.S. Pat. No. 6,342,534 should be considered with respect to Column 3, lines 51-67 and Column 4, lines 39-48, Table 1 and Table 2, in which the emphasis is on bis-substituted tetraamine systems terminated with N-ethyl, N-piperidinyl, and pyridinyl units. Bowlin referred to above should be considered with respect to Column 1, lines 51-67 in which is described compounds useful for potentiating the cellular immune response. Bowlin's compounds are limited to activating cells to be killed by the immune system. Thus, Bowlin requires an immune system to work with their disclosed drugs.

Other research in using polyamine conjugates for cellular entry has been described in published documents (Cohen, G. M.; Cullis, P.; Hartley, J. A.; Mather, A. Symons, M. C. R.; Wheelhouse, R. T. Targeting of Cytotoxic Agents by Polyamines: Synthesis of a Chloroambucil-Spermidine Conjugate. J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun. 1992, 298-300; Cullis, P. M.; Merson-Davies, L.; Weaver, R. Conjugation of a polyamine to the bifunctional alkylating agent chlorambucil does not alter the preferred cross-linking site in duplex DNA. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 8033-8034; Phanstiel IV, O.; Price, H. L; Wang, L.; Juusola, J.; Kline, M.; Shah, S. M. The Effect of Polyamine Homologation on the Transport and Cytotoxicity Properties of Polyamine-(DNA-Intercalator) Conjugates. J. Org. Chem. 2000, 65, 5590-5599; Wang, L.; Price, H. L.; Juusola, J.; Kline, M.; Phanstiel, IV, O. "Influence of Polyamine Architecture on the Transport and Topoisomerase II Inhibitory Properties of Polyamine DNA-Intercalator Conjugates," J. Med. Chem. 2001, 44, 3682-3691; Delcros, J-G.; Tomasi, S.; Carrington, S.; Martin, B.; Renault, J.; Blagbrough, I. S.; Uriac, P. Effect of spermine conjugation on the cytotoxicity and cellular transport of acridine. J. Med. Chem., 2002, 45, 5098-5111; "Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of N.sup.1-(anthracen-9-ylmethyl)triamines as Molecular Recognition Elements for the Polyamine Transporter," Wang, C.; Delcros, J-G.; Biggerstaff, J.; Phanstiel IV, O. J. Med. Chem., 2003, 46, 2663-2671; "Molecular Requirements for Targeting the Polyamine Transport System: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Polyamine-Anthracene Conjugates," Wang, C.; Delcros, J-G.; Biggerstaff, J.; Phanstiel IV, O. J. Med. Chem. 2003, 46, 3672-2682; "Defining the Molecular Requirements for the Selective Delivery of Polyamine-Conjugates into Cells Containing Active Polyamine Transporters," Wang, C.; Delcros, J-G.; Cannon, L.; Konate, F.; Carias, H.; Biggerstaff, J.; Gardner, R. A.; Phanstiel IV, O. J. Med. Chem. 2003, 46, 5129-5138; "N.sup.1-Substituent Effects in the Selective Delivery of Polyamine-Conjugates into Cells Containing Active Polyamine Transporters"Gardner, R. A.; Delcros, J-G.; Koriate, F.; Breitbeil III, F.; Martin, B.; Sigman, M.; Huang, M.; Phanstiel IV, O. J. Med. Chem. 2004, 47, 6055-6069.)

The prior art by Cullis et al is limited to delivering a DNA-alkylating agent (chlorambucil) to cells using spermidine, a non-optimal polyamine vector. The chlorambucil substituent is linked via a tether to the internal N.sup.4-nitrogen of the spermidine chain. Recent findings have shown this internal N-alkylation motif used by Cullis to be a less than optimal arrangement for using the polyamine transporter. The previous publications by Phanstiel IV et al are limited to branched polyamine systems built from spermine and spermidine platforms, again using non-optimized polyamine vectors. The report by Blagbrough et al focused on using tetraamine derivatives of spermine to deliver acridine to cells. Blagbrough's compounds are limited by the use of less than optimal spermine vectors to deliver a less potent acridine drug into cells.

The more recent Phanstiel IV papers (2003-2004) illustrate this technology with linear triamines and tetraamine systems in targeting cancer cells via the polyamine transporter.

Since the 1980s several laboratories have probed the transport properties of polyamines into various cell types (E. coli, yeast and mammals). The polyamine transporter in E. coli is perhaps the best understood as the transporter gene and several protein gene products (Pot A-F) have been identified. In particular the PotB and PotC proteins form a trans-membrane channel, which facilitates polyamine transport. PotD is a periplasmic, polyamine-binding protein, which prefers spermidine over putrescine. Moreover, the X-ray crystal structure of spermidine bound to PotD revealed that the molecular recognition events involved in spermidine binding is controlled by specific amino acid residues and a bound water molecule. Specifically, through this water molecule, the bound spermidine molecule forms two hydrogen bonds with Thr 35 and Ser 211. In a related study the PotF protein was shown to selectively bind putrescine. The PotF crystal structure, in combination with the mutational analysis, revealed the residues crucial for putrescine binding (Trp-37, Ser-85, Glu-185, Trp-244, Asp-247, and Asp-278) and the importance of water molecules for putrescine recognition. Therefore, the E. coli studies provided a striking example of how cells can discriminate between structurally similar di- and tri-amine substrates, (e.g., putrescine (PUT) and spermidine (SPD), respectively). While significant work has also been accomplished in yeast and other systems, the proteins involved in mammalian polyamine transport have not yet been isolated and characterized beyond a kinetic description. Clearly, the lack of structural detail associated with the mammalian polyamine transporter is a glaring void in the knowledge base.

The NMDA receptor is known to have a polyamine binding site, which modulates its action. Moreover, it is known that the site(s) responsible for both the agonist and antagonist activity of polyamine derivatives reside in a single subunit of the NMDA receptor-channel complex (NR2). This phenomenon has been reported in Ransom, R. W.; Stec, N. L.; Cooperative Modulation of [3H]MK-801 binding to the n-methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor ion Channel by Glutamate, Glycine and Polyamines. J. Neurochem. 1988, 51, 830-836 and in Williams, K.; Romano, C.; Molinoff, P. B. Effects of Polyamines on the binding of [3H] MK-801 to the N-methyl-D-Aspartate receptor: Pharmacological Evidence for the Existence of a Polyamine Recognition Site. Mol. Pharmacol. 1989, 36, 575-581 and Williams, K.; Zappia, A. M.; Pritchett, D. B.; Shen, Y. M.; Molinoff, P. B. Sensitivity of the N-Methyl-D-Aspartate receptor to polyamines is Controlled by NR2 Subunits. Mol. Pharmacol. 1994, 45, 803-809. In 1995, Bergeron et al. discussed multiple uses of polyamines in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 1995, 38, 425-442, "Impact of Polyamine Analogues on the NMDA Receptor." In addition to antineoplastic activity against tumor cells, N-terminally dialkylated tetraamines were reported to have a potent effect on neuromuscular activity in the gut, function in modulating neural transmission and exhibit a pronounced biphasic action on NMDA receptor function. What was not known is the optimal polyamine architecture to selectively inhibit the NR2 subunit of the NMDA receptor, a site responsible for neuronal cell death. A success in this area would provide the medical community with a new tool and potential therapy for the treatment of stroke and neurodegenerative diseases.

Indeed, very selective and effective tetraamine derivatives for treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and the like would satisfy a very significant commercial demand in the medical and pharmaceutical industries.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The first objective of the present invention is to provide compounds that are useful as anti-cancer agents and useful as therapeutic treatments for neurodegenerative disorders.

The second objective of the present invention is to provide a method for enhancing the efficacy of anti-cancer agents and N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) receptor inhibitors.

The third objective of the present invention is to provide a method for preparing the anti-cancer compounds and compounds having surprising utility as NDMA inhibitors for treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.

The fourth objective of the present invention is to provide compounds and methods for treating cancer cells without requiring the immune system.

The fifth objective of the present invention is to provide a very selective N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) inhibitor that protects nerve cells from dying and could be used as a therapy for victims of stroke and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Preferred embodiments of this invention include:

Compounds of the formula A, RNR.sup.1(CH.sub.2).sub.rNR.sup.2(CH.sub.2).sub.sNR.sup.3R.sup.4 A or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein R is selected from the group consisting of naphthylmethyl, naphthylethyl, anthracenylmethyl, anthracenylethyl, pyrenylmethyl, R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, and R.sup.4 are selected from at least one of hydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkylaryl, para-toluenesulfonyl, arenesulfonyl, alkylsulfonyl, acyl, carbamoyl, and r is 2-18 and s is 2-18; Compounds of the formula B, RNR.sup.1(CH.sub.2).sub.rNR.sup.2(CH.sub.2).sub.sNR.sup.3(CH.sub.2).sub.t- NR.sup.4R.sup.5 B or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein R is selected from the group consisting of naphthylmethyl, naphthylethyl, anthracenylmethyl, anthracenylethyl, pyrenylmethyl, wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 are selected from at least one of the following: hydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkylaryl, para-toluenesulfonyl, arenesulfonyl, alkylsulfonyl, acyl, carbamoyl and r is 2-18, s is 2-18 and t is 2-18; Compounds of the formula C, RNR.sup.1(CH.sub.2).sub.rNR.sup.2(CH.sub.2).sub.sNR.sup.3R.sup.4 C or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, where R is a chemotherapeutic agent and R.sup.1-R.sup.4 are at least one of hydrogen, alkyl, acyl, carbamoyl or alkylaryl, and r is 2-18, and s is 2-18; A compound of the formula D, RNR.sup.1(CH.sub.2).sub.rNR.sup.2(CH.sub.2).sub.sNR.sup.3(CH.sub.2).sub.t- NR.sup.4R.sup.5 D or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, where R is a chemotherapeutic agent and R.sup.1-R.sup.5 are at least one of hydrogen, alkyl, acyl, carbamoyl or alkylaryl, and r is 2-18, s is 2-18 and t is 2-18; their use in pharmaceutical compositions; and their methods of fabrication.

The compounds of formulas B and D above are tetraamine derivatives and are preferred for use as NMDA inhibitors, while retaining their modest anti-cancer activity and will be explained in more detail below.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed descriptions of the presently preferred embodiments, which are illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a sample conjugate system with two examples, triamine 8 and tetraamine 13.

FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C (Schemes 1-4) provide general method schemes for the synthesis of the compounds of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a general strategy to enhance cell uptake by polyamine vectoring systems.

FIG. 4 provides examples of an existing anti-cancer drug doxorubicin substituted with either a triamine, e.g., 14 (or a tetraamine, e.g., 15) to improve its chemotherapeutic potency.

FIG. 5 (Scheme 5)--illustrates a synthetic method to attach the polyamine vector onto an existing chemotherapeutic, doxorubicin. This methodology can lead to the synthesis of the polyamine-doxorubicin conjugate 14.

FIGS. 6A-6B (Schemes 6 and 7)--illustrates the synthesis of various aryl substituted polyamines (27a, 27b, 8e, 27d), a hydroxylated polyamine derivative 30 and a cyclohexyldiamine analogue 31.

FIG. 7 illustrates the structures of 32-35 as examples of systems with altered amine scaffolds appended to an anthracenyl methyl unit.

FIG. 8 illustrates a naphthylethyl triamine derivative, 36.

FIG. 9 illustrates an anthracenylethyl triamine derivative, 37.

FIG. 10 shows the effect of anthracene-spermine conjugate on glutamate receptors.

FIG. 11 shows the effect of the anthracene control compound (without an attached polyamine) on the NMDA (NR1A/NR2A) receptor.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Before explaining the disclosed embodiments of the present invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the particular arrangements shown, since the invention is capable of other embodiments. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. It would be useful to discuss the definitions of some words used herein and their applications before discussing the invention, which provides compounds and methods for treating cancer cells without requiring the immune system for their cytotoxicity and for selectively inhibiting the activity of the NMDA receptor, a site present in neurotransmission systems that is responsible for neuron cell death. For the purposes of this patent application, the term "vector" is used to denote a special chemical message, which is recognized by the polyamine transport system of cells. This special chemical message is a polyamine with the proper or ideal spacing units in between the nitrogen centers. Research has shown that having the proper spacing unit (distance between the nitrogen centers) and having the appropriate number of positive charges (via protonation of the nitrogen centers) is critical for selective cellular uptake. 1) "Vectored systems" relates to polyamine conjugates, which have a polyamine message which is recognized by the polyamine transport system on the surface of cells and have enhanced uptake into cells with highly active polyamine transporters over those which do not, (e.g., CHO vs. CHO-MG cells). 2) The term "transporter" is used to describe the cellular process of binding and/or importing a chemical entity, which is outside the cell. The chemical entity in this case is the polyamine conjugate, i.e. a polyamine scaffold covalently attached to a toxic agent. 3) The term "conjugate" is used to describe a polyamine architecture, which is covalently bound to a cytotoxic agent (e.g., an anthracenyl methyl unit) or to a known chemical agent with anti-cancer properties, e.g., doxorubicin. 4) "Cell selectivity" denotes the ability of a polyamine conjugate to selectively enter cells with highly active polyamine transporters (e.g. CHO cells or B16 melanoma cells) over those that have lower polyamine transport activity (e.g. CHO-MG cells or MeI-A cells). 5) "IC.sub.50 value" is the concentration of drug needed to kill 50% of the relative cell population. The lower the value the more cytotoxic the drug is to that cell type. In Figures before FIG. 10, the lower the IC.sub.50 value, the higher potency of the polyamine derivative in killing the cancer cell type. In terms of FIGS. 10 and 11 which pertain to NMDA activity, the lower the IC.sub.50 value the more effective the polyamine derivative is in inhibiting the activity of the particular receptor function. In this case, selective inhibition of the NMDA receptor subunit NR1A/NR2A provides cell protection. 6) "K.sub.i value" reflects the affinity of the drug architecture for the polyamine transporter. The lower the value of the Ki, the higher the affinity of the drug for the polyamine transporter. 7) L1210 cells are mouse leukemia cells and are a standard well-used benchmark for evaluating cytotoxicity of new drug systems, especially polyamine containing drugs. 8) Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO cells) have an active polyamine transporter. This cell type is very susceptible to drugs, which use the polyamine transporter to gain access to cells (i.e. polyamine conjugates). 9) Chinese hamster ovary cells, which are chemically mutated to be polyamine transport-deficient will be referred to as the CHO-MG cell line. This cell type should have lower susceptibility to polyamine conjugates, which use the polyamine transporter to gain access to cells, since it does not have an active transporter to facilitate their uptake. 10) B16 cells are melanoma, skin cancer cells with highly active polyamine transporters. These cells should be very susceptible to polyamine conjugates which use the polyamine transporter to gain access to cells. 11) MeI-A cells are normal melanocytes, skin cells, which have moderately active polyamine transporters. These cells should be moderately susceptible to polyamine-conjugates, but less so than the B-16 cells. 12) "NMDA receptor" is the N-Methyl-D-Aspartate receptor, a brain protein in neurotransmission systems that is crucial for learning and memory. When oxygen-deprived nerve cells occur, as in brain stroke, excess levels of glutamate are produced, which stimulate the NDMA receptor to cause nerve cell death with devastating results. In particular, certain subunits of the NMDA protein complex are considered "bad" receptors as they stimulate cell death (e.g. NR1A/NR2A). Other receptors are considered `good" receptors which are necessary for proper cell function (e.g., AMPA and GluR1). The goal is to selectively inhibit the bad receptor (NR1A/NR2A as evidenced by a low IC.sub.50 value), while leaving the good receptors operational (evidenced by a higher relative IC50 value in AMPA or GluR1). This desired selectivity is illustrated in FIG. 10.

A recent discussion of the use of polyamine conjugates in relation to N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NDMA) receptors is by Keiko Kashiwagi et al. in The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 2004, Vol. 309, No. 3, 884-893, "Anthraquinone Polyamines: Novel Channel Blockers to Study N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptors."

This invention has identified polyamine compounds, which have multiple functions, including, but not limited to, surprising cytotoxicity, unexpected selectivity in killing cancer cells (or cells with active polyamine transporters), selectivity and potency for inhibiting the activity of the NMDA receptors that trigger damage caused by oxygen deprivation in the brain and/or facilitate the delivery of known toxic agents into cancer cells.

A panel of amine substrates of the general formula indicated in FIG. 1 (i.e., those of general type 8 and 13 as well as other systems to be discussed later) were tested for efficacy in cells containing active and deficient polyamine transporters (i.e., Chinese hamster ovary CHO cells and CHO-MG cells, respectively). In addition, murine leukemia (L1210) cells and L1210 cells pretreated with DFMO (Difluoromethylornithine, an inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase) were also treated with the polyamines illustrated in FIG. 1 (i.e. those of general type 8 and 13) as well as other systems to be discussed later. The results indicate micromolar concentration IC.sub.50 values in three cell lines along with varying K.sub.i values (a transporter affinity measure) and are provided in Tables 1 and 2. Table 1 illustrates the fact that different polyamine compounds have different cytotoxicity profiles, e.g., the IC.sub.50 value varies from 0.3 to 36.3 uM in the L1210 cell study (Table 1, column 2). The presence of di-fluoromethylornithine (DFMO) is known to enhance polyamine uptake into L1210 cells and should make the cells more sensitive to the tested polyamine analogues. Indeed, the IC.sub.50 values were typically lower in the presence of DFMO (Table 1, column 3). This finding is consistent with certain analogues using the polyamine transporter to gain access to these cells. The distance separating the nitrogen centers was directly related to cytotoxicity. Attaching the anthracenylmethyl subunit to a particular polyamine "vector" motif provided enhanced cytotoxicity. The structures of compounds 8b-8g are defined in FIG. 2, Scheme 2. Note: the term "3,3-triamine" refers to the fact that molecule 8b has two three carbon spacer units separating the three nitrogen centers.

For example in Table 1, 8b, a conjugate bearing the "3,3-triamine" motif was only 1.3 fold more toxic in the presence of DFMO, whereas the related 4,4-triamine motif 8e was twice as toxic. This effect was even more dramatic with tetraamine systems 13e and 13f, which were 7.2 and 4.7 fold more toxic, respectively, in the presence of DFMO. The dramatic effect of tetraamine systems 13e and 13f contributed to further study of the tetraamine conjugate systems in general, including their use as a therapeutic treatment for neurodegenerative disorders. Note the control compounds 34 and 35, which do not contain the proper polyamine vector, gave lower cytotoxicity in the presence of DFMO (both were 0.7 fold less toxic). These results suggested that the observed cytotoxicity enhancement with DFMO is related to the ability of the conjugate to utilize the polyamine transport system.

As shown in Table 2, these same controls 34 and 35 were not very selective in killing CHO and CHO-MG cells as they had similar toxicities in both lines. Indeed, specific structures of the polyamine component were needed for the desired cell selectivity. The triamines of the invention have demonstrated over 150-fold higher cytotoxicity in killing cells with active polyamine-transporters (as modeled by the CHO line) over cells, which are polyamine-transporter deficient (as modeled by the CHO-MG cell line). For example, the 4,4-triamine conjugate 8e was one of the most selective compounds and was very toxic to CHO cells (IC.sub.50=0.45 .mu.M), but much less so to the CHO-MG cell line (IC.sub.50=66.7 .mu.M).

While a few investigators have successfully "ferried" polyamine-drug conjugates into cells, limited systematic studies have been conducted on the mono-substituted linear polyamines as vector systems. This, in part, may stem from their less direct syntheses, which involve several steps. The method of synthesis of some of the triamines (and tetraamines) of the invention are provided in examples below and in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 5 and 6 (Schemes 1-7).

The initial conjugates are comprised of an anthracene nucleus covalently bound to a polyamine framework. The anthracene component was selected due to significant preliminary data, which revealed its increased potency over an acridine analogue in murine leukemia (L1210) cells. Moreover, the anthracene provides a convenient UV "probe" for compound isolation (and identification) and elicits a toxic response from cells upon entry (presumably through DNA coordination). The uptake of several anthracene-polyamine conjugates by the polyamine transporter (PAT) has been demonstrated. The large size and sweep volume of the appended anthracene system suggests that other architectures (e.g., doxorubicin) may also be conveyed into cells via this transporter. In fact, compound 27d, a pyrene derivative, is also selectively imported into cells with active polyamine transporters. Therefore, while the anthracene component offers a convenient probe for polyamine delivery studies, the invention is not limited thereto.

To optimize delivery, polyamine architectures are needed, which facilitate uptake via the polyamine transporter (PAT). The polyamine tail has been shown to facilitate uptake, impart water solubility to the conjugate, and enable dosing as aqueous solutions.

Virtually all cells contain substantial amounts of at least one of the polyamines: putrescine (PUT), spermidine (SPD), or spermine (SPM). Since the polyamine component represents an important cellular "feedstock", one would expect preferential uptake by rapidly dividing cells. Polyamines are a requirement for the optimum growth and replication of various cell types and are present in higher concentrations in rapidly proliferating cells. The fact that polyamines can be taken up by tissues from the circulation is known, since the metabolism of labeled polyamines has been studied in vivo. Tissues with a high demand for polyamines (e.g., prostate tumors or normal but rapidly dividing cells) take up exogenous polyamines in increased amounts via a specific transport system. The high specific activity of polyamine transport in tumor cells is thought to be associated with the inability of biosynthetic enzymes to provide sufficient levels of polyamines to sustain the rapid cell division. These "bio-production" constraints are partially offset by scavenging polyamines from exogenous sources.

Additional studies have indicated that polyammonium cations (PACs) have a very high DNA affinity, but are loosely bound and can "read" DNA very rapidly because of their otherwise unconstrained motion. These properties make PACs and related polycations ideal for drug delivery when the drug needs to reach specific sites in the DNA. In short, polyamine-containing conjugates can act as recognition elements for the polyamine uptake apparatus and may also enhance DNA targeting via their electrostatic PAC-DNA interactions. These properties lay the foundation for a "value-added" vectoring system as indicated in FIG. 3. In addition to the demonstrated compounds, by attaching a polyamine architecture (as example, the 4,4 triamine) onto a current drug scaffold (e.g., doxorubicin), the potency and selectivity of the drug may be increased (14, FIG. 4). Alternatively, a tetraamine scaffold could also provide enhanced abilities, (15, FIG. 4).

This invention identifies efficient polyamine vector architectures required to harness the polyamine transporter. This, in turn, led to new drugs and drug delivery systems, which target rapidly dividing cancer cells over normal resting cells (e.g., melanoma cells over melanocytes, see Table 3). This is a discovery of significant therapeutic value in the fight against cancer. Moreover, this strategy has identified targeted antineoplastic agents, which are non-antibody based, as well as structural elements, which can be attached to other drugs to assist their entry into cells expressing a polyamine transporter.

The following examples are provided for the purpose of illustration and not limitation.

Example 1

Synthesis: As shown in FIG. 2A, Scheme 1, the reductive amination of 1 to 4 was achieved in two steps via in situ generation of the imine 3. A homologous series of imines (3a.about.d) were prepared from 1 and different alcohols. Each imine was then reduced to its respective amine 4 with NaBH.sub.4 in good yield without purification. Solvent removal by rotary evaporation at 40-50.degree. C. facilitated imine formation and provided satisfactory yields of the 2.degree. amines, 4a-d, (68.about.81%) after the two-step process. The 2.degree. amines 4a-d were N-protected to form 5 using excess di-t-butyl dicarbonate, Boc.sub.2O. Interestingly, compound 5b, which contained three methylene units, was unstable, even when it was stored at low temperature (0.about.5.degree. C.) under nitrogen. This finding is in direct contrast to 5a, 5c and 5d, which were stable at room temperature.

In the seemingly routine tosylation step, shown in Scheme 2, we were unable to obtain the desired compound 6a from the N-Boc protected 5a. In addition, the impurities generated during the formation of 5b greatly affected the tosylation reaction. Nevertheless, tosylate 6b was isolated in lower yield (51%), but was unstable to prolonged storage. In contrast, tosylates 6c and 6d were prepared in higher yields (88%) and were relatively stable. However, their respective colors and .sup.1HNMR spectra slowly changed during prolonged storage in the refrigerator. Therefore, the tosylates 6 were best generated and used as soon as possible. Alternatively, methanesulfonyl chloride (i.e., mesyl chloride) can be used in lieu of tosyl chloride to activate the alcohol subunit. The advantage to using mesyl chloride is that it is readily removed by a 1N NaOH washing step. The yields using either sulfonylchloride agent are comparable. However, the isolation of synthetic intermediates, where OTs=O-mesyl instead of O-tosyl in Schemes 2-4 and Scheme 6, is more efficient and conducive to scale-up processes.

As shown in Scheme 2, the tosylated compounds (6b.about.d) were reacted with excess putrescine or 1,3-diaminopropane to form six .sup.1N-Boc protected triamines 7b-g. These triamines could be cleanly isolated, but were again unstable to prolonged storage at low temperature. Therefore, they were consumed in the next step immediately after purification. The N-Boc groups of 7 were removed by 4N HCl, and the six triamine compounds 8b-g were formed in good yield. Impurities in 8 were removed by washing the solids with absolute ethanol.

After repeated syntheses, it was found that 5 and 6 could be used directly in subsequent steps to provide satisfactory yields and purities of the target compounds 8. Therefore, as long as adducts 4 and 7 were pure, one could avoid column chromatography on the other intermediates, 5 and 6.

As shown in Scheme 3, derivatives 4a-d were previously converted to their respective N,O-bis-tosylates 9a-d. Displacement of the terminal tosylate by butanediamine provided the series, 10a-d in good yield. Derivatives 10a-d represent triamine systems containing two large aromatic motifs and has one of the terminal amines sequestered as a sulfonamide.

As shown in Scheme 4, tetraamine derivatives 13a-i were synthesized via intermediates 6, 11, and 12 using similar methods as shown for 8b-g in Schemes 1 and 2 (FIGS. 2A-2B). How these structural perturbations influence the cytotoxicity of the bioconjugate were evaluated via IC.sub.50 and K.sub.i determinations are listed in Tables 1 & 2.

FIG. 5 (Scheme 5) provides an example of a synthetic method to attach the polyamine vector onto an existing chemotherapeutic agent such as doxorubicin, 21. The use of an antineoplastic agent conjugated to the appropriate polyamine should provide enhanced antineoplastic activity. The synthetic methodology led to the synthesis of the N-Boc protected polyamine-doxorubicin conjugate 23 from which one obtains the doxorubicin-4,4-triamine conjugate, 14. Coupling an appropriate polyamine to other existing chemotherapeutic agents (e.g., mitoxantrone, anthramycin, camptothecin, vincristine or cis platin) should also provide an enhanced chemotherapeutic agent.

As shown in FIG. 6A (Scheme 6), the aryl unit (Ar) was varied to include a variety of common arylalkyl units (ArCH.sub.2). Using synthetic methods already described in Scheme 2, compounds 26a-d were reacted with diamines to form triamines 27a,b,d and 8e, which contain R=arylalkyl. Alternatively, they could be reacted with aminoalcohols, tosylated and reacted with diamines to form the tetraamine analogues similar to that outlined in FIG. 2C (Scheme 4) for the synthesis of 13.

Internal modifications were also made to the aliphatic spacer unit connecting the nitrogens. For example as shown in FIG. 6B (Scheme 7), a hydroxy unit (30) or a cycloalkyl spacer unit (31) were inserted synthetically using a similar reaction of a diamine reacting with a tosylate (similar to how compounds 8 were made in Scheme 2).

Overall, the synthetic method is modular and allows for a variety of structural alterations to be introduced into the general architecture.

Example 2

Biological Evaluation. Three cell lines were chosen for bioassay. L1210 (mouse leukemia) cells were selected for comparison with the published IC.sub.50 and K.sub.i values determined for a variety of polyamine substrates. In this regard both K.sub.i and IC.sub.50 values were measured in this line for comparison purposes. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were chosen along with a mutant cell line (CHO-MG) in order to comment on polyamine transporter affinity and cell selectivity. The CHO-MG cell line is polyamine-transport deficient and was isolated after chronic selection for growth resistance to methylglyoxalbis (guanylhydrazone). For the purposes of this study, the CHO-MG cell line represents cells with limited polyamine transport activity. In contrast, the parent CHO cell line illustrates cell types with active polyamine transport. Comparison of efficacy in these two lines provided an important screen to detect conjugate delivery via the polyamine transporter, PAT. For example, a conjugate with high utilization of the transporter would be very toxic to CHO cells, but less so to CHO-MG cells. Therefore, IC.sub.50 determination in these two CHO lines provided a relative ranking of delivery via the PAT. In short, highly selective, vectored conjugates would give high (CHO-MG/CHO) IC.sub.50 ratios.

It is a well-known practice in pharmaceutical science to use pharmaceutically acceptable acid salts of amine derivatives to facilitate their long storage and dosing as aqueous solutions. The examples listed in this invention are comprised of a polyamine salt derived from a pharmaceutically acceptable acid (e.g., HCl) with or without the use of a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier (e.g., water). Such salts can be derived from either inorganic or organic acids, including for example hydrochloric, hydrobromic, acetic, citric, fumaric, maleic, benzenesulfonic, and ascorbic acids. The pharmaceutical compositions obtained by the combination of the carrier and the polyamine salt will generally be used in a dosage necessary to elicit the desired biological effect. This includes its use in an antineoplastic effective amount or in a lesser amount when used in combination with other biologically active agents.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Biological Evaluation of triamines 8b-g, N-tosyl derivatives10a-d, tetraamines 13a-i, homologues 27, and controls 30-35 in L1210 cells. L1210/ K.sub.i values L1210 + (L1210 + (.mu.M) Compd L1210 DFMO DFMO) L1210 (tether) IC.sub.50 in .mu.M IC.sub.50 in .mu.M IC.sub.50 ratio cells 8b (3, 3) 1.8 (.+-.0.4) 1.4 (.+-.0.3) 1.3 33.4 (.+-.2.6) 8c (3, 4) 0.7 (.+-.0.3) 0.3 (.+-.0.1) 2.3 2.5 (.+-.0.3) 8d (4, 3) 0.4 (.+-.0.1) 0.2 (.+-.0.02) 2 6.2 (.+-.0.6) 8e (4, 4) 0.3 (.+-.0.04) 0.15 (.+-.0.1) 2 1.8 (.+-.0.1) 8f (5, 3) 1.3 (.+-.0.1) 0.7 (.+-.0.1) 1.9 5.0 (.+-.0.6) 8g (5, 4) 0.4 (.+-.0.1) 0.3 (.+-.0.1) 1.3 1.7 (.+-.0.2) 10a (2, 4) 3.3 (.+-.0.2) 3.9 (.+-.0.9) 0.9 ND 10b (3, 4) 6.3 (.+-.0.5) 7.7 (.+-.1.1) 0.8 ND 10c (4, 4) 7.4 (.+-.1.0) 8.1 (.+-.1.6) 0.9 ND 10d (5, 4) 6.2 (.+-.0.3) 6.9 (.+-.0.8) 0.9 ND 13a (3, 3, 4) 21.8 (.+-.3.2) 21.9 (.+-.4.3) 1 0.107 (.+-.0.013) 13b (3, 4, 3) 19.5 (.+-.2.8) 31.9 (.+-.1.9) 0.6 0.202 (.+-.0.008) 13c (3, 4, 4) 9.8 (.+-.1.7) 5.1 (.+-.0.6) 1.9 0.079 (.+-.0.009) 13d (3, 5, 4) 10.7 (.+-.2.4) 7.2 (.+-.0.1) 1.5 0.090 (.+-.0.006) 13e (4, 4, 3) 4.3 (.+-.0.6) 0.6 (.+-.0.2) 7.2 0.074 (.+-.0.005) 13f (4, 4, 4) 7.5 (.+-.0.3) 1.6 (.+-.0.3) 4.7 0.051 (.+-.0.006) 13g (5, 4, 3) 6.4 (.+-.1.0) 2.1 (.+-.0.7) 3 0.099 (.+-.0.008) 13h (5, 4, 4) 7.2 (.+-.0.6) 3.8 (.+-.0.1) 1.9 0.065 (.+-.0.005) 13i (5, 5, 4) 7.1 (.+-.1.2) 4.3 (.+-.0.9) 1.7 0.064 (.+-.0.005) 27a: benzyl 36.3 421 (.+-.27.1) 0.1 4.5 (.+-.0.8) (4, 4) (.+-.8.4) 27b: naphthyl 0.50 0.43 (.+-.0.02) 1.1 3.8 (.+-.0.5) (4, 4) (.+-.0.03) 27d: pyrenyl 0.40 0.36 (.+-.0.06) 1.1 2.9 (.+-.0.3) (4, 4) (.+-.0.02) 30: Ant- 1.50 2.30 (.+-.0.29) 0.7 12.5 (.+-.1.2) hydroxyamino (.+-.0.08) 31: Ant- 1.00 0.7 (.+-.0.1) 1.4 3.8 (.+-.0.9) (cyclohexyl) (.+-.0.16) 32: Ant- 3.00 4.60 (.+-.0.12) 0.7 13.3 (.+-.1.5) (octylene) (.+-.0.07) 33: Ant- 11.30 17.0 (.+-.0.61) 0.7 90.0 (.+-.4.6) (diethoxy) (.+-.0.37) 34: Ant- 6.30 9.78 (.+-.0.42) 0.7 32.2 (.+-.4.3) butanediamine (.+-.0.26) 35: Ant(N- 14.6 (.+-.0.1) 21.9 (.+-.3.6) 0.7 62.3 (.+-.4.2) butyl)

As shown in Table 1, L1210 cells which were pretreated with DFMO were more susceptible to the polyamine conjugates, which use the polyamine transporter (8b-8g). In contrast, DFMO pretreatment slightly reduced the potency of systems, which do not use the transporter (10a-10d). These conclusions were reached from the following two trends: a) the IC.sub.50 values were lower for the triamine series (8b-8g) which use the transporter upon DFMO pretreatment and the IC.sub.50 values were higher for the triamine series which have limited use of the transporter (10a-d) upon DFMO pretreatment. As expected, the tetraamine systems 13a-i were also effective in killing DFMO-pretreated cells. The homologous series 27b, 8e and 27d (in FIG. 6A, Scheme 6) revealed the structural tolerance of the polyamine transporter to import N-alkylaryl units of varying size and hydrophobicity. Research has shown that the compounds of the invention, mono-substituted N.sup.1-alkylaryl triamines, have enhanced selectivity and cytotoxicity. The fact that 8e and cyclohexyl derivative 31 also had similar properties suggests that further alterations of the polyamine chain can be accommodated by the transporter. As expected, the control compounds 32-35 (FIG. 6) were all less cytotoxic than the vectored triamine systems, 8.

The K.sub.i values in Table 1 reflect the affinity of the polyamine derivative for the transport apparatus on the cell surface. The lower the K.sub.i value, the higher the affinity. Triamine-anthracene conjugates (which have a 4,4 triamine 8e and 5,4 triamine 8g sequence) were preferred and demonstrated the highest affinity for the polyamine transporter of the triamines tested. The tetraamines 13 had the lowest IC.sub.50 values and reflected their superior affinity for the polyamine transporter. However, their IC.sub.50 values were typically higher than the corresponding triamine systems, which means they are less cytotoxic to cancer cells. This clearly illustrates that high affinity for the polyamine transporter does not always translate into higher cytotoxicity. Thus it was surprising to find the tetraamine derivatives were very selective as NMDA inhibitors.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Biological Evaluation of triamines 8b-g, N-tosyl derivatives 10a-d and tetraamines 13a-i, homologues 27, and controls 30-35, in the CHO and CHO-MG cell lines. Compd CHO-MG CHO CHO-MG/CHO (tether) IC.sub.50 in .mu.M IC.sub.50 in .mu.M IC.sub.50 ratio 8b (3, 3) 3.4 (.+-.0.5) 1.9 (.+-.0.4) 1.8 8c (3, 4) 8.8 (.+-.1.2) 2.5 (.+-.0.7) 3.5 8d (4, 3) 9.5 (.+-.1.1) 0.4 (.+-.0.1) 24 8e (4, 4) 66.7 (.+-.4.1) 0.45 (.+-.0.1) 148 8f (5, 3) 10.1 (.+-.1.2) 4.1 (.+-.0.5) 2.5 8g (5, 4) 57.3 (.+-.2.9) 1.5 (.+-.0.1) 38 10a (2, 4) 7.1 (.+-.0.4) 5.1 (.+-.0.6) 1.4 10b (3, 4) 11.1 (.+-.1.3) 10.2 (.+-.0.9) 1.1 10c (4, 4) 10.6 (.+-.1.9) 10.4 (.+-.1.6) 1.0 10d (5, 4) 7.8 (.+-.1.9) 7.1 (.+-.0.8) 1.1 13a (3, 3, 4) 41.5 (.+-.3.5) 44 (.+-.0.0) 0.9 13b (3, 4, 3) 75.7 (.+-.7.3) 59.7 (.+-.6.5) 1.3 13c (3, 4, 4) 52.8 (.+-.2.6) 31.2 (.+-.7.3) 1.7 13d (3, 5, 4) 41.7 (.+-.0.2) 35 (.+-.1.3) 1.2 13e (4, 4, 3) 2.8 (.+-.0.4) 4 (.+-.1.4) 0.7 13f (4, 4, 4) 33.2 (.+-.1.7) 10.6 (.+-.0.0) 3.1 13g (5, 4, 3) 33.5 (.+-.3.5) 18 (.+-.3.5) 1.9 13h (5, 4, 4) 30.8 (.+-.0.4) 9.9 (.+-.1.6) 3.1 13i (5, 5, 4) 5.7 (.+-.1.6) 4 (.+-.0.8) 1.4 27a: benzyl >1000 >1000 NA (4, 4) 27c: naphthyl >100 0.6 (.+-.0.2) >164 (4, 4) 27d: pyrenyl 15.5 (.+-.2.4) 0.46 (.+-.0.05) 34 (4, 4) 30: Ant-(4,3- 9.5 (.+-.0.8) 9.1 (.+-.0.4) 1 hydroxyamino) 31: Ant- 17.4 (.+-.2.8) 2.5 (.+-.0.5) 7 (cyclohexyl) 32: Ant- 4.9 (.+-.0.1) 4.9 (.+-.0.2) 1 (octylene) 33: Ant- 15.9 (.+-.1.5) 12.6 (.+-.0.6) 1.3 (diethoxy) 34: Ant- 7.6 (.+-.0.4) 7.7 (.+-.0.5) 1 diamine 35: Ant 11.2 (.+-.2.3) 10.5 (.+-.2.0) 1.1 (N-butyl)

As shown in Table 2, biological evaluation of triamines 8b-g and 10a-d in CHO cells revealed that the 4,4-triamine 8e displays a nearly 150-fold preference for the CHO line containing PAT over CHO-MG, while the 3,3-triamine analogue 8b preferred this line by only 1.8 fold. Note: the entire tetraamine series 13 had, at best, only a 3 fold preference or lower. However the tetraamine series 13 has been found to have excellent use as an N-Methyl-D-Asparate (NMDA) inhibitor. The results are set forth in Examples 4 and 5 and in Tables 10 and 11. The naphthyl derivative 27b also had an excellent selectivity profile with >164 fold preference in killing cells with an active polyamine transport system. These findings demonstrate that triamine conjugates (particularly 8e and 27b, which both used the 4,4 triamine vector) make preferred cell targeting motifs. The effectiveness of the triamines is also reflected in the L1210 IC.sub.50 results, wherein the 4,4-triamine 8e and 5,4-triamine 8g showed a greater sensitivity to DFMO treatment. Therefore, the triamine systems seem to give consistent data in all three cell lines.

Thus, the 4,4-triamine architecture represents a preferred vectoring system, which upon attachment to a toxic agent imparts high cell selectivity and low IC.sub.50 values in the CHO and L1210 cell lines (Tables 1 and 2). In short, one can selectively deliver "large" toxic agents to tumor cells with highly active polyamine transporters by using the proper polyamine system for cell targeting.

An example of selectively targeting cancer cells (melanoma) with this strategy is illustrated in Table 3.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Cell selectivity profile for 8e and the control N-butyl derivative 35. Ant-4,4-triamine 8e Ant-N-butylamine 35 Cell Type Time IC.sub.50 (.mu.M) IC.sub.50 (.mu.M) B16 (melanoma) 24 h 1.93 (.+-.0.11) 19.25 (.+-.2.76) B16 (melanoma) 48 h 1.10 (.+-.0.07) 21.31 (.+-.2.18) B16 (melanoma) 72 h 0.62 (.+-.0.03) 20.39 (.+-.1.81) Mel-A(normal 24 h 16.47 (.+-.1.95) 44.30 (.+-.9.14) melanocyte) Mel-A(normal 48 h 8.27 (.+-.0.95) 32.80 (.+-.4.64) melanocyte) Mel-A(normal 72 h 6.49 (.+-.1.15) 15.00 (.+-.3.73) melanocyte)

Many cancer cell lines are known to have high PAT activity, and should be susceptible to this vectored chemotherapeutic strategy. As shown in Table 3, the triamine-vectored 8e analogue was 7.5-10.5 times more cytotoxic to melanoma B16 cells than the normal melanocytes, Mel-A (e.g. 6.49/0.62=10.5). The Ant-N-butyl control 35 (FIG. 7), which has been shown to not use the PAT, was only 0.7-2.3 fold more potent. Since the respective cell doubling times are different, IC.sub.50 ratios (35/8e) for each cell type were also compared. This alternative interpretation revealed that the presence of the triamine vector in 8e resulted in 10-32 fold higher cytotoxicity in B-16 cells, which have high PAT activity, than control 35 (e.g., 24h: 19.25/1.93=10). In contrast, the triamine vector in 8e resulted in only 2-4 fold higher cytotoxicity in Mel-A cells than 35 (e.g. 24 h: 44.3/16.47=2.7). These results further support the proposed polyamine vector strategy as a viable means to target cancer cells over their healthy counterparts.

With respect to the tetraamine systems, 13, the 4,4,4-tetraamine 13f and the 5,4,4-tetraamine 13h show enhanced selectivity in killing cells with active polyamine transporters (Table 2). The three-fold enhancement in cytotoxicity, while not as remarkable as the related triamine systems, distinguished these two tetraamines as the best of the tetraamine series studied.

Example 3

Experimental Section

Materials. Silica gel (32-63 .mu.m) was purchased from Scientific Adsorbents Incorporated. Chemical reagents were purchased either from the ACROS Chemical Co. or the Sigma Chemical Co. and used without further purification. All solvents were distilled prior to use. .sup.1H NMR and .sup.13C NMR spectra were recorded at 300 and 75 MHz, respectively. TLC solvent systems are based on volume % and NH.sub.4OH refers to concentrated aqueous NH.sub.4OH. All final compounds listed in the Tables had satisfactory elemental analyses (a proof of purity). General Procedure for the Synthesis of N-(Anthracen-9-ylmethyl)amino Alcohols 4.

To a stirred solution of amino alcohol (12 mmol) in 25% MeOH/CH.sub.2Cl.sub.2 (10 mL) was added a solution of 9-anthraldehyde (10 mmol) in 25% MeOH/CH.sub.2Cl.sub.2 (10 mL) under N.sub.2. The mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight until the imine formation was complete (monitored by TLC). The solvent was evaporated under vacuum to give the crude imine as a bright green solid, which was used for reduction without further purification.

NaBH.sub.4 (30 mmol) was added in small portions to the solution of imine 1:1 CH.sub.3OH:CH.sub.2Cl.sub.2 (20 mL) at 0.degree. C. The mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight, then concentrated under vacuum. The residue was dissolved in CH.sub.2Cl.sub.2 (50 mL), and washed three times with aq. Na.sub.2CO.sub.3 (pH 10, 50 mL). The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous Na.sub.2SO.sub.4, filtered, and concentrated under vacuum. The residue was purified by flash chromatography on silica gel.

2-[(Anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-amino]ethanol, 4a. Bright yellow solid; mp 116-118.degree. C.; yield 77%; R.sub.f=0.48, methanol/chloroform, 1:9; .sup.1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl.sub.3): .delta. 8.40 (s, 1H), 8.28 (d, 2H), 8.00 (d, 2H), 7.48 (m, 4H), 4.6.8 (s, 2H), 3.64 (t, 2H), 3.00 (t, 2H), 2.1 (br s, 2H); .sup.13C NMR: .delta. 131.75, 131.44, 130.45, 129.47, 127.63, 126.48, 125.23, 124.18, 61.12, 51.65, 45.41; Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.17H.sub.17NO: C, 81.24; H, 6.82; N, 5.57; found: C, 81.28; H, 6.83; N, 5.57; HRMS (FAB) m/z calcd. for C.sub.17H.sub.18NO (M+H).sup.+: 252.1388; found: 252.1381. 3-[(Anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-amino]-propan-1-ol, 4b. Bright yellow solid; mp 82-83.degree. C.; yield 80%; R.sub.f=0.51, methanol/chloroform, 1:9; .sup.1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl.sub.3): .delta. 8.40 (s, 1H), 8.28 (d, 2H), 8.00 (d, 2H), 7.46 (m, 4H), 4.70 (s, 2H), 3.80 (t, 2H), 3.10 (t, 2H), 2.90 (br s, 2H), 1.78 (m, 2H); .sup.13C NMR: .delta. 131.72, 130.98, 130.48, 129.48, 127.72, 126.56, 125.25, 124.06, 64.65, 50.83, 46.02, 31.14. Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.18H.sub.19NO: C, 81.48; H, 7.22; N, 5.28. Found: C, 81.20; H, 7.20; N, 5.28. HRMS (FAB) m/z calcd. for C.sub.18H.sub.20NO (M+H).sup.+: 266.1545; found: 266.1526. 4-[(Anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-amino]-butan-1-ol, 4c. Bright yellow solid; mp 87-88.degree. C.; yield 81%; R.sub.f=0.51, methanol/chloroform, 1:9; .sup.1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl.sub.3) .delta. 8.40 (s, 1H), 8.26 (d, 2H), 8.00 (d, 2H), 7.49 (m, 4H), 4.68 (s, 2H), 3.50 (t, 2H), 2.90 (t, 2H), 1.65 (br s; 4H); .sup.13C NMR: .delta. 131.74, 130.73, 130.48, 129.51, 127.82, 126.64, 125.30, 123.96, 62.89, 50.58, 45.72, 32.72, 29.13. Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.19H.sub.21NO: C, 81.68; H, 7.58; N, 5.01. found: C, 81.63; H, 7.65; N, 5.10. HRMS (FAB) m/z calcd. for: C.sub.19H.sub.22NO (M+H).sup.+: 280.1701; found: 280.1679. 5-[(Anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-amino]-pentan-1-ol, 4d. Bright yellow solid; mp 76-77.degree. C.; yield 68%; R.sub.f=0.26, methanol/chloroform (5:95); .sup.1H NMR (CDCl.sub.3): .delta. 8.38 (s, 1H), 8.27 (d, 2H), 7.98 (d, 2H), 7.45 (m, 4H), 4.65 (s, 2H), 3.50 (t, 2H), 2.82 (t, 2H), 1.78 (br s, 2H), 1.50 (m, 4H), 1.40 (m, 2H); .sup.13C NMR (CDCl.sub.3): .delta. 131.89, 131.77, 130.48, 129.44, 127.46, 126.40, 125.19, 124.29, 62.68, 50.60, 45.96, 32.68, 29.91, 23.67. Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.20H.sub.23NO: C, 81.87; H, 7.91; N, 4.77. found: C, 81.89; H, 7.99; N, 4.86. HRMS (FAB) m/z calcd. for C.sub.20H.sub.24NO (M+H).sup.+: 294.1858; found: 294.1835. The General Procedure for the N-Boc, protection of N-(Anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-amino alcohols 4 to give 5. The solution of N-(anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-amino alcohol (5 mmol) in 20 mL of pyridine-methanol (1:5 v/v) was stirred at 0.degree. C. for 10 min. A solution of di-tert-butyl dicarbonate (7.5 mmol) in methanol (5 mL) was added dropwise over ten minutes. The temperature was allowed to rise to room temperature and the reaction was stirred overnight. The mixture was evaporated to dryness under reduced pressure. The residue was dissolved in methylene chloride, and washed with deionized water several times. The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous Na.sub.2SO.sub.4, filtered, and concentrated under vacuum. The residue was purified by flash chromatography on silica gel. Anthracen-9-ylmethyl-(2-hydroxy-ethyl) carbamic acid tert-butyl ester, 5a. Pale yellow solid; mp 131-132.degree. C.; yield 84%; R.sub.f=0.21 (acetone/hexane 1:4); .sup.1H NMR (CDCl.sub.3): .delta. 8.43 (s, 1H), 8.38 (br s, 2H), 8.01 (d, 2H), 7.43 (m, 4H), 5.50 (br s, 2H), 3.30 (t, 2H), 3.00 (br s, 3H, including --OH), 1.52 (br s, 9H). Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.22H.sub.25NO.sub.3: C, 75.19; H, 7.17; N, 3.98. found. C, 75.02, H, 7.13; N, 3.98. Anthracen-9-ylmethyl-(3-hydroxy-propyl) carbamic acid tert-butyl ester, 5b. Unstable pale yellow solid; yield 90%, R.sub.f 0.23 (acetone/hexane 1:4); .sup.1H NMR (CDCl.sub.3): .delta. 8.42 (s, 1H), 8.36 (d, 2H), 8.02 (d, 2H), 7.52 (m, 4H), 5.50 (br s, 2H), 3.25 (br s, 2H), 3.10 (br s, 2H), 1.62 (m, 11H). HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.23H.sub.28NO.sub.3 (M+H).sup.+: 366.2069; Found: 366.2067. Anthracen-9-ylmethyl-(4-hydroxy-butyl) carbamic acid tert-butyl ester, 5c. Pale yellow solid; mp 113-114.degree. C.; yield 88%; R.sub.f=0.13 (acetone/hexane 12:88); .sup.1H NMR (CDCl.sub.3): .delta. 8.42 (s, 1H), 8.39 (d, 2H), 8.01 (d, 2H), 7.52 (m, 4H), 5.50 (br s, 2H), 3.25 (t, 2H), 2.80 (br s, 2H), 1.60 (br s, 9H), 1.20 (m, 4H). .sup.13C NMR: .delta. 155.88, 131.52, 131.48, 129.45, 128.99, 126.53, 125.22, 124.32, 80.08, 62.35, 44.54, 41.28, 30.05, 28.94 (3C), 24.99. Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.24H.sub.29NO.sub.3: C, 75.96; H, 7.70; N, 3.69. found: C, 76.04; H, 7.64; N, 3.68. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.24H.sub.29NO.sub.3Na (M+Na).sup.+: 402.2045; found: 402.2070. Anthracen-9-ylmethyl-(5-hydroxy-pentyl) carbamic acid tert-butyl ester, 5d. Pale yellow solid; mp 125-126.degree. C.; yield 84%; R.sub.f=0.28 (acetone/hexane 1:4); .sup.1H NMR (CDCl.sub.3): .delta. 8.44 (s, 1H), 8.41 (d, 2H), 8.05 (d, 2H), 7.55 (m, 4H), 5.56 (br s, 2H), 3.38 (t, 2H), 2.82 (br s, 2H), 1.64 (br s, 9H), 1.25 (m, 4H), 0.98 (m, 2H); .sup.13C NMR: .delta. 155.97, 131.56, 131.53, 129.43, 128.34, 126.51, 125.23, 124.43, 79.94, 62.85, 44.84, 41:41, 32.33, 28.96 (3C), 28.43, 23.14. Anal Calcd. for C.sub.25H.sub.31NO.sub.3: C, 76.30; H, 7.94; N, 3.56. found: C, 76.29; H, 7.96; N, 3.67. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.25H.sub.32NO.sub.3(M+H).sup.+: 394.2382; found: 394.2385. General Procedure for the tosylation of N-Boc protected (anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-amino alcohols 4 to give 9. A solution of the N-Boc protected (anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-amino alcohol (5 mmol) in 20 mL dry pyridine was stirred at 0.degree. C. for 10 min. p-Toluenesulfonyl chloride (TsCl, 7.5 mmol) was added in small portions over 30 min. The mixture was stirred for an additional hour and the reaction flask was placed in a refrigerator (0-5.degree. C.) overnight. The mixture was poured into 200 mL of ice-water, and a hemi-solid (or viscous liquid) typically precipitated (or separated). After decanting off the upper layer, the residue was dissolved in methylene chloride and washed several times with deionized water. The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous Na.sub.2SO.sub.4, filtered and concentrated under vacuum. The residue was purified by flash chromatography on silica gel. Toluene-4-sulfonic acid 3-(anthracen-9-ylmethyl-tert-butoxycarbonyl-amino)-propyl ester, 9b. Unstable bright yellow viscous liquid, yield 51%; R.sub.f=0.21 (acetone/hexane 1:4). .sup.1H NMR (CDCl.sub.3): .delta. 8.42 (s, 1H), 8.39 (d, 2H), 8.05 (d, 2H), 7.58 (m, 6H), 7.21 (d, 2H), 5.46 (s, 2H), 3.63 (t, 2H), 2.82 (t, 2H), 2.41 (s, 3H), 1.64 (br s, 11H). HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.25H.sub.26NO.sub.3S (M+2H-Boc).sup.+: 420.1633; found: 420.1642. Toluene-4-sulfonic acid 4-(anthracen-9-ylmethyl-tert-butoxycarbonyl-amino)-butyl ester, 9c. Pale yellow viscous liquid; yield 88%; R.sub.f=0.38, acetone/hexane 1:3; .sup.1H NMR (CDCl.sub.3): .delta. 8.42 (s, 1H), 8.37 (d, 2H), 8.00 (d, 2H), 7.62 (d, 2H), 7.48 (m, 4H), 7.22 (d, 2H), 5.46 (s, 2H), 3.63 (t, 2H), 2.77 (br s, 2H), 2.40 (s, 3H), 1.48 (br s, 9H), 1.20 (br s, 4H); Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.31H.sub.35NO.sub.5S 0.5H.sub.2O: C, 68.61; H, 6.69; N, 2.58. found: C, 68.74; H, 6.57; N, 2.55. HRMS: calcd. for C.sub.31H.sub.35NO.sub.5S M.sup.+: 533.2236; found: 533.2236. Toluene-4-sulfonic acid 5-(anthracen-9-ylmethyl-tert-butoxycarbonyl-amino)-pentyl ester, 9d. Pale yellow viscous liquid; yield 88%; R.sub.f=0.25, acetone/hexane 1:4; .sup.1H NMR (CDCl.sub.3): .delta. 8.42 (s, 1H), 8.36 (d, 2H), 8.00 (d, 2H), 7.63 (d, 2H), 7.46 (m, 4H), 7.22 (d, 2H), 5.47 (s, 2H), 3.73 (br s, 2H), 2.76 (br s, 2H), 2.40 (s, 3H), 1.48 (br s, 9H), 1.24 (br s, 2H), 1.20 (br s, 2H), 0.93 (br s, 2H); Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.32H.sub.37NO.sub.5S 0.5H.sub.2O: C, 69.04; H, 6.88; N, 2.52. found: C, 69.15; H, 6.75; N, 2.57. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.32H.sub.38NO.sub.5S (M+H).sup.+: 548.2471; found: 548.2501. General Procedure for the preparation of the N.sup.1-Boc protected-N.sup.1-(Anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-triamines, 7. The tosylated products 6 (1 mmol) and 1,4-diaminobutane or 1,3-diaminepropane (10 mmol) were dissolved in acetonitrile (10 mL), then stirred at 75.degree. C. under N.sub.2 overnight. After checking for the disappearance of the tosylate by TLC, the solution was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was dissolved in CH.sub.2Cl.sub.2 (20 mL) and washed three times with saturated aqueous sodium carbonate. The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated under vacuum. The residue was purified by flash chromatography on silica gel. The purified products were used immediately for next step (BOC deprotection). The isolated yields ranged between 59-75%. General Procedure for the preparation of the N.sup.1-(Anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-triamines, 8. The N.sup.1-Boc protected-N.sup.1-(anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-triamine 7 (0.5 mmol) was dissolved in ethanol (5 mL), and stirred at 0.degree. C. for 10 min. 4 N aq. HCl (8 mL) was added dropwise at 0.degree. C. The mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight. The solution was then concentrated under reduced pressure (while maintaining the water bath on the rotary evaporator below 60.degree. C.) and a bright yellow solid precipitated. The solids were washed several times with absolute ethanol and provided the pure target compounds. The .sup.1H NMR spectra of polyamine conjugates were measured in 0.5 mL DMSO-d.sub.6 and 3 drops of D.sub.2O. The use of DMSO-d.sub.6/D.sub.2O mixtures resulted in better spectral resolution (compared to using pure D.sub.2O as solvent). The .sup.13C NMR spectra of the triamines were measured in D.sub.2O to avoid the interference of DMSO carbon signals. The listed amines are all in their HCl salt form. N-(3-Amino-propyl)-N-anthracen-9-ylmethyl-propane-1,3-diamine, trihydrochloride 8b. Bright yellow solid, yield 98%. .sup.1H NMR (DMSO-d.sub.6+D.sub.2O): .delta. 8.80 (s, 1H), 8.40 (d, 2H), 8.22 (d, 2H), 7.75 (t, 2H), 7.62 (t, 2H), 5.23 (s, 2H), 3.40 (t, 2H), 3.05 (m, 4H), 2.96 (t, 2H), 2.18 (m, 2H), 2.00 (m, 2H); .sup.13C NMR: .delta. 130.63, 130.45, 130.06, 129.47, 127.72, 125.50, 122.48, 120.06, 44.91, 44.82, 44.75, 43.08, 36.74, 23.98, 22.93. Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.21H.sub.30Cl.sub.3N.sub.3: C, 58.54; H, 7.02; N, 9.75. found: C, 58.27; H, 6.90; N, 9.69. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.21H.sub.30Cl.sub.2N.sub.3 (M+H--HCl).sup.+: 394.1817; found: 394.1806. N.sup.1-{3-[(Anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-amino]-propyl}-butane-1,4-di- amine, trihydrochloride 8c. Bright yellow solid, yield 98%. .sup.1H NMR (DMSO-d.sub.6+D.sub.2O): .delta. 8.80 (s, 1H), 8.42 (d, 2H), 8.20 (d, 2H), 7.72 (t, 2H), 7.62 (t, 2H), 5.23 (s, 2H), 3.42 (t, 2H), 3.05 (t, 2H), 2.98 (t, 2H), 2.82 (t, 2H), 2.20 (br s, 2H), 1.71 (br s, 4H). .sup.13C NMR (D.sub.2O): .delta. 130.57, 130.41, 130.01, 129.45, 127.71, 125.48, 122.46, 119.98, 47.27, 44.76, 44.66, 43.01, 39.03, 24.16, 23.00, 22.92. Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.22H.sub.32Cl.sub.3N.sub.3 0.6H.sub.2O: C, 57.99; H, 7.34; N, 9.22. found: C, 58.00; H, 7.36; N, 9.20 HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.22H.sub.32Cl.sub.2N.sub.3 (M+H--HCl).sup.+: 408.1973; found: 408.1950. N-(3-Amino-propyl)-N-anthracen-9-ylmethyl-butane-1,4-diamine, trihydrochloride 8d. Bright yellow solid, yield 95%. .sup.1H NMR (DMSO-d.sub.6+D.sub.2O): .delta. 8.80 (s, 1H), 8.42 (d, 2H), 8.20 (d, 2H), 7.73 (t, 2H), 7.64 (t, 2H), 5.23 (s, 2H), 3.30 (t, 2H), 2.99 (m, 6H), 2.00 (m, 2H), 1.80 (m, 4H). .sup.13C NMR (D.sub.2O): .delta. 130.65, 130.37, 130.04, 129.48, 127.70, 125.51, 122.49, 120.30, 47.18 (2C), 44.78, 42.79, 36.81, 24.04, 23.14, 22.99. Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.22H.sub.32Cl.sub.3N.sub.3: C, 59.40; H, 7.25; N, 9.45. found: C, 59.48; H, 7.07; N, 9.30. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.22H.sub.32Cl.sub.2N.sub.3 (M+H--HCl).sup.+: 408.1973; found: 408.1958. N-(4-Amino-butyl)-N-anthracen-9-ylmethyl-butane-1,4-diamine, trihydrochloride 8e. Bright yellow solid, yield 91%. .sup.1H NMR (DMSO-d.sub.6+D.sub.2O): .delta. 8.80 (s, 1H), 8.42 (d, 2H), 8.20 (d, 2H), 7.70 (t, 2H), 7.61 (t, 2H), 5.23 (s, 2H), 3.30 (t, 2H), 2.93 (m, 4H), 2.82 (t, 2H), 1.78-1.60 (m, 8H). .sup.13C NMR (D.sub.2O): .delta. 130.62, 130.32, 130.01, 129.45, 127.67, 125.48, 122.48, 120.37, 47.17, 47.11, 47.00, 42.76, 39.03, 24.19, 23.14, 23.02 (2C). Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.23H.sub.34Cl.sub.3N.sub.3 0.8H.sub.2O: C, 58.37; H, 7.58; N, 8.88. found: C, 58.39; H, 7.36; N, 8.76. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.23H.sub.32N.sub.3 (M+H-3HCl).sup.+: 350.2590; found: 350.2611. N-(3-Amino-propyl)-N-anthracen-9-ylmethyl-pentane-1,5-diamine, trihydrochloride 8f. Bright yellow solid, yield 86%. .sup.1H NMR (DMSO-d.sub.6+D.sub.2O): .delta. 8.80 (s, 1H), 8.42 (d, 2H), 8.20 (d, 2H), 7.72 (t, 2H), 7.64 (t, 2H), 5.22 (s, 2H), 3.28 (t, 2H), 2.99 (m, 6H), 2.00 (m, 2H), 1.80 (m, 2H), 1.72 (m, 2H), 1.42 (m, 2H); .sup.13C NMR (D.sub.2O): .delta. 130.54, 130.23, 129.91, 129.39, 127.60, 125.42, 122.42, 120.30, 47.62, 47.54, 44.69, 42.56, 36.80, 25.28, 25.22, 24.01, 23.20. Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.23H.sub.34Cl.sub.3N.sub.3 0.2H.sub.2O: C, 59.73; H, 7.50; N, 9.09. found: C, 59.71; H, 7.40.; N, 9.06. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.23H.sub.34Cl.sub.2N.sub.3 (M+H--HCl).sup.+: 422.2130; found: 422.2106. N-(4-Amino-butyl)-N-anthracen-9-ylmethyl-pentane-1,5-diamine, trihydrochloride 8g. Bright yellow solid, yield 88%. .sup.1H NMR (DMSO-d.sub.6+D.sub.2O): .delta. 8.80 (s, 1H), 8.42 (d, 2H), 8.20 (d, 2H), 7.73 (t, 2H), 7.64 (t, 2H), 5.23 (s, 2H), 3.26 (t, 2H), 2.93 (br s, 4H), 2.82 (t, 2H), 2.00 (m, 2H), 1.80 (m, 2H), 1.72 (br s, 4H), 1.42 (m, 2H); .sup.13C NMR (D.sub.2O): .delta. 130.49, 130.21, 129.89, 129.38, 127.61, 125.41, 122.42, 120.23, 47.51, 47.46, 47.07, 42.50, 39.06, 25.29, 25.19, 24.22, 23.20, 23.04. Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.24H.sub.36Cl.sub.3N.sub.3: C, 60.95; H, 7.67; N, 8.89. found: C, 60.74; H, 7.63; N, 8.79. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.24H.sub.36Cl.sub.2N.sub.3 (M+H--HCl).sup.+: 436.2286; found: 436.2289. General Procedure for the Substitution of the Tosylated Compounds with the amino alcohols or diamines (Preparation of 11 or 13). The tosylated products (compounds 6 or 12) (1 mmol) and .omega.-amino-.alpha.-alcohols (5 mmol) (or diamines when making 13) were dissolved in acetonitrile (10 mL), then stirred at 75.degree. C. under N.sub.2 overnight. After checking the disappearance of tosylated products by TLC, the solution was concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was dissolved in CH.sub.2Cl.sub.2 (20 mL), washed three times with saturated aqueous sodium carbonate. The organic layer was separated, dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated under vacuum. The residue was purified by flash column on silica gel. The purified products 11 were used for next step immediately. During the synthesis of 13, an intermediate compound (13.times.), which still contained two N--BOC groups was isolated and immediately converted to 13 as described below. General Procedure for the Amino Group Deprotection (Preparation of 13) The N-Boc protected N.sup.1-(Anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-tetraamines (13.times., 0.5 mmol) were dissolved in ethanol (5 mL), and stirred at 0.degree. C. for 10 min. 4N HCl (8 mL) then added dropwise at 0.degree. C. The mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight. After that the solution was concentrated under reduced pressure below 60.degree. C., and the bright yellow solid precipitated. The solid was washed with 100% ethanol for several times and to give the pure target compounds 13. N.sup.1-{3-[3-(Anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-amino]-propylamino}-butane-1,4-diami- ne Tetrahydrochloride (13a) Bright yellow solid; yield 96%; .sup.1H NMR: .delta. 8.72 (s, 1H), 8.28 (d, 2H), 8.16 (d, 2H), 7.64 (t, 2H), 7.58 (t, 2H), 5.20 (br s, 2H), 3.38 (br s, 2H), 3.00 (m, 8H), 2.84 (br s, 2H), 2.12 (br s, 2H), 2.00 (br s, 2H), 1.62 (br s, 4H). .sup.13CNMR: .delta. 130.73, 130.54, 130.17, 129.55, 127.82, 125.59, 122.57, 120.17, 47.38, 44.91 (2C), 44.83, 44.70, 43.19, 39.11, 24.25, 23.09, 22.99 (2C). Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.25H.sub.40Cl.sub.4N.sub.4 H.sub.2O: C, 53.96; H, 7.61; N, 10.07. found: C, 53.89; H, 7.62; N, 10.08. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.25H.sub.37N.sub.4 (M+H-4HCl).sup.+: 393.3013; found: 393.3020 N-(3-Amino-propyl)-N-{3-[(anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-amino]-propyl}-butane-1,4- -diamine Tetrahydrochloride (13b) Bright yellow solid; yield 91%; .sup.1H NMR: .delta. 8.73 (s, 1H), 8.28 (d, 2H), 8.17 (d, 2H), 7.64 (t, 2H), 7.58 (t, 2H), 5.18 (s, 2H), 3.30 (t, 2H), 2.96 (m, 10H), 2.10 (m, 2H), 1.90 (m, 2H), 1.60 (br s, 4H). .sup.13CNMR: 5130.70, 130.51, 130.13, 129.51, 127.77, 125.55, 122.54, 120.15, 47.25 (2C), 44.81 (2C), 44.71, 43.12, 36.81, 24.06, 23.05 (2C), 22.97. Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.25H.sub.40Cl.sub.4N.sub.4 0.4H.sub.2O: C, 55.03; H, 7.54; N, 10.27. found: C, 55.02; H, 7.49; N, 10.18. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for

C.sub.25H.sub.37N.sub.4 (M+H-4HCl).sup.+: 393.3013; found: 393.3018 N-(4-Amino-butyl)-N-{3-[(anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-amino]-propyl}-butane-4,4-- diamine Tetrahydrochloride (13c) Bright yellow solid; yield 95%; .sup.1H NMR: .delta. 8.80 (s, 1H), 8.40 (d, 2H), 8.19 (d, 2H), 7.66 (t, 2H), 7.60 (t, 2H), 5.21 (s, 2H), 3.40 (t, 2H), 3.02 (t, 2H), 2.92 (m, 6H), 2.82 (t, 2H), 2.11 (m, 2H), 1.62 (m, 8H). .sup.13CNMR: .delta. 130.85, 130.62, 130.29, 129.57, 127.86, 125.64, 122.61, 120.38, 47.26, 47.18, 47.10, 44.86, 44.72, 43.25, 39.06, 24.23, 23.07 (2C), 22.99. Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.26H.sub.42Cl.sub.4N.sub.4 1.2H.sub.2O: C, 54.40; H, 7.80; N, 9.76. found: C, 54.43; H, 7.67; N, 9.79. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.26H.sub.39N.sub.4 (M+H-4HCl).sup.+: 407.3175; found: 407.3165 N-(4-Amino-butyl)-N-{3-[(anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-amino]-propyl}-pentane-1,5- -diamine Tetrahydrochloride (13d) Bright yellow solid; yield 88%; .sup.1H NMR: .delta. 8.70 (s, 1H), 8.28 (d, 2H), 8.15 (d, 2H), 7.63 (t, 2H), 7.58 (t, 2H), 5.20 (s, 2H), 3.38 (t, 2H), 3.01 (t, 2H), 2.90 (m, 8H), 2.11 (m, 2H), 1.62 (br s, 8H), 1.28 (m, 2H). .sup.13CNMR: .delta. 130.71, 130.52, 130.14, 129.53, 127.80, 125.57, 122.55, 120.16, 47.70, 47.54, 47.12, 44.84, 44.65, 43.13, 39.10, 25.39 (2C), 24.26, 23.16, 23.08, 22.97. Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.27H.sub.44Cl.sub.4N.sub.4 1.0H.sub.2O: C, 55.48; H, 7.93; N, 9.59. found: C, 55.52; H, 7.97; N, 9.56. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.22H.sub.41N.sub.4 (M+H-4HCl).sup.+: 421.3326; found: 421.3327 N-[4-(3-Amino-propylamino)-butyl]-N-anthracen-9-ylmethyl-butane-1,4-diami- ne Tetrahydrochloride (13e) Bright yellow solid; yield 94%; .sup.1H NMR: .delta. 8.79 (s, 1H), 8.40 (d, 2H), 8.19 (d, 2H), 7.68 (t, 2H), 7.60 (t, 2H), 5.21 (s, 2H), 3.28 (t, 2H), 2.92 (m, 10H), 1.92 (m, 2H), 1.80 (m, 2H), 1.70 (br s, 6H). .sup.13CNMR: 6130.69, 130.41, 130.09, 129.49, 127.73, 125.53, 122.52, 120.37, 47.28, 47.20, 47.12, 47.06, 44.81, 42.82, 36.82, 24.05, 23.15, 23.08 (2C), 23.01. Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.26H.sub.42Cl.sub.4N.sub.4 0.5H.sub.2O: C, 55.62; H, 7.72; N, 9.98. found: C, 55.62; H, 7.55; N, 9.85. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.26H.sub.39N.sub.4 (M+H-4HCl).sup.+: 407.3169; found: 407.3166 N-[4-(4-Amino-butylamino)-butyl]-N-anthracen-9-ylmethyl-butane-1,4-diamin- e Tetrahydrochloride (131) Bright yellow solid; yield 86%; .sup.1H NMR: 88.79 (s, 1H), 8.40 (d, 2H), 8.19 (d, 2H), 7.68 (t, 2H), 7.60 (t, 2H), 5.21 (s, 2H), 3.24 (br s, 2H), 2.92 (br s, 8H), 2.84 (br s, 2H), 1.80 (br s, 2H), 1.64 (br s, 10H). .sup.13CNMR: .delta.130.75, 130.46, 130.14, 129.53, 127.77, 125.57, 122.57, 120.45, 47.24, 47.20, 47.14 (2C), 47.08, 42.88, 39.09, 24.26, 23.18, 23.12 (2C), 23.10, 23.06. Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.27H.sub.44Cl.sub.4N.sub.4Cl.sub.2O: C, 56.89; H, 7.85; N, 9.83. found: C, 56.82; H, 7.87; N, 9.76. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.27H.sub.41N.sub.4 (M+H-4HCl).sup.+: 421.3326; found: 421.3310 N-[4-(3-Amino-propylamino)-butyl]-N-anthracen-9-ylmethyl-pentane-1,5-diam- ine Tetrahydrochloride (13g) Bright yellow solid; yield 88%; .sup.1HNMR: 58.79 (s, 1H), 8.40 (d, 2H), 8.19 (d, 2H), 7.66 (t, 2H), 7.60 (t, 2H), 5.20 (s, 2H), 3.22 (t, 2H), 2.90 (m, 10H), 1.92 (m, 2H), 1.66 (m, 8H), 1.40 (m, 2H). .sup.13CNMR: 5130.70, 130.36, 130.07, 129.49, 127.72, 125.54, 122.53, 120.50, 47.64, 47.53, 47.30, 47.05, 44.82, 42.69, 36.84, 25.36, 25.28, 24.07, 23.27, 23.11, 23.09. Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.27H.sub.44Cl.sub.4N.sub.4 0.5H.sub.2O: C, 56.35; H, 7.88; N, 9.74. found: C, 56.36; H, 7.76; N, 9.77. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.27H.sub.41N.sub.4 (M+H-4HCl).sup.+: 421.3326; found: 421.3319 N-[4-(4-Amino-butylamino)-butyl]-N-anthracen-9-ylmethyl-pentane-1,5-diami- ne Tetrahydrochloride (13h) Bright yellow solid; yield 92%; .sup.1HNMR: 58.78 (s, 1H,), 8.39 (d, 2H), 8.18 (d, 2H), 7.66 (t, 2H), 7.60 (t, 2H), 5.20 (s, 2H), 3.22 (t, 2H), 2.88 (br s, 8H), 2.80 (m, 2H), 1.74 (m, 2H), 1.62 (br s, 10H), 1.40 (m, 2H). .sup.13CNMR: .delta. 130.70, 130.36, 130.07, 129.49, 127.72, 125.54, 122.53, 120.50, 47.64, 47.53, 47.20, 47.14, 47.06, 42.70, 39.08, 25.36, 25.28, 24.24, 23.27, 23.12 (2C), 23.08. Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.28H.sub.46Cl.sub.4N.sub.4 0.6H.sub.2O: C, 56.88; H, 8.05; N, 9.48. found: C, 56.89; H, 7.92; N, 9.40. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.28H.sub.43N.sub.4 (M+H-4HCl).sup.+: 435.3482; found: 435.3477. N-[5-(4-Amino-butylamino)-pentyl]-N-anthracen-9-ylmethyl-pentan- e-1,5-diamine Tetrahydrochloride (13i) Bright yellow solid; yield 99%; .sup.1H NMR: 58.70 (s, 1H), 8.28 (d, 2H), 8.13 (d, 2H), 7.66 (t, 2H), 7.56 (t, 2H), 5.24 (s, 2H), 3.16 (t, 2H), 2.88 (m, 10H), 1.70 (m, 2H), 1.58 (m, 10H), 1.32 (m, 4H). .sup.13C NMR: 5130.69, 130.35, 130.06, 129.49, 127.70, 125.52, 122.52, 120.50, 47.62, 47.56, 47.48, 47.44, 47.11, 42.67, 39.08, 25.42 (2C), 25.34, 25.27, 24.25, 23.27, 23.21, 23.07. Anal. Calcd. for C.sub.29H.sub.48Cl.sub.4N.sub.4 0.7H.sub.2O: C, 57.37; H, 8.20; N, 9.23. found: C, 57.27; H, 8.11; N, 9.14. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.29H.sub.45N.sub.4 (M+H-4HCl).sup.+: 449.3644; found: 449.3650. Synthesis of 23. A mixture of doxorubicin 21 (1 equiv.) and {4-[tert-butoxycarbonyl-(4-oxo-butyl)-amino]-butyl}-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester 20 (2 equiv.) in 25% methanol-dichloromethane (5 mL) were stirred at 0.degree. C. for several minutes, then added 1M NaBH.sub.3CN in THF (0.67 equiv.) (FIG. 5). After checking the disappearance of doxorubicin by TLC and a new less polar spot formed, the solution was concentrated and the residue was purified by preparative TLC. R.sub.f=0.38 (10% methanol-chloroform) to give 23. Compound 23: .sup.1H NMR (CDCl.sub.3) .delta. 8.05 (d, 1H, H1), 7.80 (t, 1H, H2), 7.41 (d, 1H, H3), 5.52 (m, 1H, H1'), 5.33 (m, 1H, H7), 4.77 (m, 2H, H14), 4.58 (m, 1H, NHCO), 4.10 (s, 3H, OCH.sub.3), 3.98 (q, 1H, H5'), 161 (m, 1H, H4'), 3.29 (d, 1H, H10), 3.22-3.02 (m, 7H, H10, 3.times.CH.sub.2), 2.79 (m, 1H, H3'), 2.59 (m, 2H, NCH.sub.2), 2.40 (d, 1H, H8), 2.16 (dd, 1H, H8), 1.75 (m, 1H, H2'), 1.70-1.35 (m, 30H, H2', 8.times.CH.sub.2, 6.times.CH.sub.3). 4-(N-Benzylamino)-butan-1-ol (24a). Pale yellow liquid: yield 89%; R.sub.f=0.34, methanol/chloroform, 1:4); .sup.1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl.sub.3) .delta. 7.29 (brs, 5H), 3.77 (s, 2H), 3.59 (t, 2H), 2.68 (t, 2H), 1.65 (brs, 4H); .sup.13C NMR: .delta. 138.8, 128.4 (2C), 128.1 (2C), 127.1, 62.5, 53.7, 49.1, 32.4, 28.5; HRMS (FAB) m/z calcd. for C.sub.11H.sub.18NO (M+H).sup.+: 180.1388; found: 180.1389. N-(Naphthalen-1-ylmethyl)-4-amino-butan-1-ol (24b). Dark yellow liquid; yield 93.6%; R.sub.f=0.54, methanol/chloroform, 1:4); .sup.1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl.sub.3) .delta. 8.02 (d, 1H), 7.85 (d, 1H), 7.76 (d, 1H), 7.47 (m, 4H), 4.23 (s, 2H), 3.58 (t, 2H), 2.79 (t, 2H), 2.51 (brs, 2H), 1.68 (brs, 4H); .sup.13C NMR: .delta. 134.5, 133.6, 131.3, 128.6, 127.8, 126.2, 126.1, 125.5, 125.2, 122.9, 62.4, 51.0, 49.6, 32.1, 28.3; HRMS m/z calcd. for C.sub.15H.sub.19NO (M.sup..+-.): 229.1467; found: 229.1477. 4-[(Anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-amino]-butan-1-ol (24c). See 4c above. 4-[(Pyren-1-ylmethyl)-amino]-butan-1-ol (24d). White solid; yield 94%. .sup.1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl.sub.3): .delta. 8.24 (d, 2H), 8.13 (m, 4H), 7.96 (m, 4H), 4.42 (s, 2H), 3.56 (t, 2H), 2.82 (t, 2H), 1.64 (brs, 4H). .sup.13C NMR (CDCl.sub.3): 132.4, 131.0, 130.6, 130.5, 128.7, 127.7, 127.2, 127.0 (2C), 125.7, 125.0, 124.9, 124.8, 124.6 (2C), 122.4, 62.6, 51.3, 49.6, 32.3, 28.6. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.21H.sub.22NO (M+H).sup.+: 304.1701; found: 304.1701.N-(4-Amino-butyl)-N'-benzene-1-ylmethyl-butane-1,4-diamine Trihydrochloride (27a). White solid; yield 73%. .sup.1H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO+D.sub.2O): .delta. 7.47 (br s, 2H), 7.41 (br s, 3H), 4.09 (s, 2H), 2.88 (br s, 6H), 2.78 (br s, 2H), 1.63 (br s, 8H). .sup.13C NMR (D.sub.2O): 130.7, 129.9 (2C), 129.8, 129.4 (2C), 51.3, 47.13, 47.07, 46.5, 39.0, 24.2, 23.1, 23.0 (2C); HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.15H.sub.28N.sub.3(M+H-3HCl).sup.+: 250.2283; found: 250.2268. N-(4-Amino-butyl)-N'-naphthalen-1-ylmethyl-butane-1,4-diamine Trihydrochloride (27b). White solid; yield 80%. .sup.1H NMR (300 MHz, D.sub.2O): .delta. 8.03 (br s, 1H), 7.96 (br s, 2H), 7.59 (br s, 2H), 7.53 (br s, 1H), 7.51 (br s, 1H), 4.68 (s, 2H), 3.14 (t, 2H), 2.99 (m, 6H), 1.67 (br s, 8). .sup.13C NMR (D.sub.2O): 132.9, 130.2, 129.9, 128.8, 128.5, 126.8, 126.0, 125.8, 125.0, 121.9, 47.4, 46.5, 46.4, 46.3, 38.4, 23.5, 22.5, 22.4 (2C); HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.19H.sub.30N.sub.3 (M+H-3HCl).sup.+: 300.2440; found: 300.2431. N-(4-Amino-butyl)-N'-pyren-1-ylmethyl-butane-1,4-diamine Trihydrochloride (27d). White solid; yield 94%. NMR (300 MHz, D.sub.2O): .delta. 8.1.about.7.6 (m, 9H), 4.46 (s, 2H), 3.04 (m, 2H), 2.92 (m, 6H), 1.63 (br s, 8H). .sup.13C NMR (D.sub.2O): .delta. 131.3, 130.4, 129.7, 128.4, 128.2, 127.9, 126.9, 126.3, 125.7, 125.6, 124.53, 124.51, 123.1, 122.9, 122.5, 120.9, 47.9, 47.0, 46.9, 46.6, 39.0, 24.1, 23.0, 22.9 (2C). HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.25H.sub.31N.sub.3(M+H-3HCl).sup.+: 374.2596; found: 374.2594. 1-Amino-3-{4-[(anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-amino]-butylamino}-propan-2-ol Trihydrochloride (30) Bright yellow solid, yield 95%. NMR (DMSO-d.sub.6+D.sub.2O): .delta. 8.80 (s, 1H), 8.42 (d, 2H), 8.20 (d, 2H), 7.68 (t, 2H), 7.60 (t, 2H), 5.22 (s, 2H), 4.20 (m, 1H), 3.28 (t, 2H), 3.1.about.2.80 (m, 6H), 1.78 (brs, 4H). .sup.13C NMR (D.sub.2O): .delta. 130.6, 130.4, 130.0, 129.5, 127.7, 125.5, 122.5, 120.3, 63.8, 50.1, 47.3, 47.2, 42.8, 42.4, 23.0, 22.9. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.22H.sub.30N.sub.3O (M+H-3HCl).sup.+: 352.2389; found: 352.2381. N-{4-[(Anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-amino]-butyl}-cyclohexane-1,4-diamine Trihydrochloride (31). Bright yellow solid, yield 95%. .sup.1H NMR (CD.sub.3OD): .delta. 8.68 (s, 1H), 8.41 (d, 2H), 8.17 (d, 2H), 7.68 (t, 2H), 7.57 (t, 2H), 5.34 (s, 2H), 3.40 (m, 2H), 3.16 (m, 4H), 2.26 (m, 2H), 2.20 (m, 2H), 1.90 (m, 4H), 1.60 (m, 4H); .sup.13C NMR (D.sub.2O): .delta. 130.7, 130.4, 130.1, 129.5, 127.7, 125.5, 122.5, 120.3, 55.4, 48.7, 47.1, 44.3, 42.8, 28.2, 26.8, 23.3, 23.0. HRMS (FAB): calcd. for C.sub.25H.sub.34N.sub.3 (M+H-3HCl).sup.+: 376.2753; found: 376.2747. N.sup.1-Anthracen-9-ylmethyl-octane-1,8-diamine Dihydrochloride (32). yellow solid; yield 89%; .sup.1H NMR (300 MHz, CD.sub.3OD) .delta. 8.69 (s, 1H), 8.40 (d, 2H), 8.15 (d, 2H), 7.70 (t, 2H), 7.59 (t, 2H), 5.32 (s, 2H), 3.30 (br s, 2H), 2.92 (t 2H), 1.82 (m, 2H), 1.63 (m, 2H), 1.42 (br s, 8H); .sup.13C NMR (D.sub.2O): .delta. 130.6, 130.3, 130.0, 129.4, 127.6, 125.5, 122.4, 120.5, 47.8, 42.3, 39.7, 28.2, 28.1, 26.9, 25.9, 25.7, 25.4; HRMS (FAB) m/z calcd. for C.sub.23H.sub.31N.sub.2 (M+H-2HCl).sup.+: 335.2487; found: 335.2489. 2-(2-{2-[(Anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-amino]-ethoxy}-ethoxy)-ethylamine Dihydrochloride (33). Bright yellow solid; yield 81%; .sup.1H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d.sub.6+D.sub.2O) .delta. 8.80 (s, 1H), 8.40 (d, 2H), 8.20 (d, 2H), 7.68 (t, 2H), 7.60 (t, 2H), 5.24 (s, 2H), 3.82 (t, 2H), 3.66 (m, 4H), 3.60 (t, 2H), 3.40 (t, 2H), 2.96 (t, 2H); .sup.13C NMR (D.sub.2O): .delta. 130.8, 130.5, 130.1, 129.5, 127.7, 125.6, 122.5, 120.5, 69.8 (2C), 66.6, 65.1, 47.0, 42.5, 39.2. HRMS (FAB) m/z calcd. for: C.sub.21H.sub.27N.sub.2O.sub.2 (M+H-2HCl).sup.+: 339.2073; found: 339.2074. N.sup.1-Anthracen-9-ylmethyl-butane-1,4-diamine Dihydrochloride (34). Yellow solid; yield 21%; R.sub.f=0.11, methanol/chloroform, 1:20+3 drops of NH.sub.4OH); .sup.1H NMR (300 MHz, D.sub.2O): .delta. 8.55 (br s, 1H), 8.15 (d, 2H), 8.08 (d, 2H), 7.66 (m, 4H), 5.08 (br s, 2H), 3.25 (t, 2H), 3.0 (t, 2H), 1.76 (m, 4H); .sup.13C NMR (D.sub.2O): .delta. 130.6, 130.3, 129.9, 129.4, 127.6, 125.4, 122.4, 120.2, 47.2, 42.7, 38.6, 24.2, 22.9; ESI-MS m/z calcd. for C.sub.19H.sub.23N.sub.2 (M+H): 279.2; found: 279.2. N.sup.1-Anthracen-9-ylmethyl-butylamine Monohydrochloride (35) Compound 35 was synthesized in 58% yield by reductive amination of anthraldehyde and butylamine followed by treatment with 4N aq. HCl. 35: Yellow solid; yield 58%; R.sub.f=0.5, methanol/chloroform, 1:20+1 drop of NH.sub.4OH; .sup.1H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO-d.sub.6): .delta. 9.1 (br s, 2H, NH.sub.2 salt), 8.78 (s, 1H), 8.51 (d, 2H), 8.18 (d, 2H), 7.64 (m, 4H), 5.2 (br s, 2H), 3.2 (s, 2H), 1.73 (t, 2H), 1.36 (q, 2H), 0.92 (q, 3H); .sup.13C NMR (CDCl.sub.3): .delta. 131.6, 131.26, 130.55, 129.46, 128.05, 125.72, 123.89, 120.86, 46.05, 41.92, 28.48, 20.32, 13.79. Anal. Calcd for C.sub.15H.sub.22NCl, 0.2H.sub.2O: C, 75.21; H, 7.44; N, 4.62; found: C, 75.31; H, 7.44; N, 4.56.

As is apparent from the above Tables 1-3, a limited class of N-alkylarylpolyamine compounds (i.e. N-naphthylalkyl, N-anthracenylalkyl and N-pyrenylalkyl) have unique properties of surprising cytotoxicity, unexpected selectivity in killing cancer cells (especially cells with high polyamine transport activity), and/or facilitate the delivery of known toxic agents into cancer cells. As shown in Table 2, the N-(3-Amino-propyl)-N-anthracen-9-ylmethyl-butane-1,4-diamine, trihydrochloride (8d), N-(4-Amino-butyl)-N-anthracen-9-ylmethyl-butane-1,4-diamine, trihydrochloride (8e), N-(4-Amino-butyl)-N-anthracen-9-ylmethyl-pentane-1,5-diamine, trihydrochloride (8g). N-(4-Amino-butyl)-N'-naphthalen-1-ylmethyl-butane-1,4-diamine trihydrochloride (27b), N-(4-Amino-butyl)-N-pyren-1-ylmethyl-butane-1,4-diamine trihydrochloride (27d), and N-{4-[(Anthracen-9-ylmethyl)-amino]-butyl}-cyclohexane-1,4-diamine trihydrochloride (31) have outstanding selectivity in targeting and killing cells with active polyamine transporters.

N-Alkylpolyamines can be broken down into their de-alkylated components by cellular metabolic pathways. For example, a N-alkyl-4,4-triamine (RNH(CH.sub.2).sub.4NH(CH.sub.2).sub.4NH.sub.2, where R is alkyl) can be converted into homospermidine, H.sub.2N(CH.sub.2).sub.4NH(CH.sub.2).sub.4NH.sub.2. It has been found that the N-alkylaryl group has an influence on this breakdown pathway. Surprisingly, cells treated with compound 8e did not form homospermidine, which indicated stability towards this form of degradation.

Example 4

TABLE-US-00004 Biological Data IC.sub.50 for NR1/NR2A* Memantine.sup.a 0.460 .mu.M Anthracene-Spermine (13b) 0.065 .mu.M Spermine 519.0 .mu.M Anthracene no effect *NR2A predominates the fore brain (cerebral cortex) .sup.adrug currently used for Alzheimer's treatment .mu.M = micromolar

Example 4 shows that anthracene-spermine (13b) blocks NMDA receptor cells very efficiently with an IC.sub.50 value of 0.065 .mu.M, whereas a current drug, Memantine, now used in Alzheimer's treatments has an IC.sub.50 value of 0.460 .mu.M. The compound 13b of the present invention is therefore, seven times more potent and can lead to a new therapy for human diseases which involve the NMDA receptor. Spermine alone (without anthracene) requires much higher doses (519 .mu.M) in order to elicit the same response as 13b (at 0.065 .mu.M). Moreover, anthracene alone (without an attached polyamine) has no effect at physiological relevant concentrations (<40 .mu.M); see also FIG. 11. This reveals that one needs a combination of the two molecules in order to gain the high selectivity observed in 13b. This is an unexpected result.

Example 5

TABLE-US-00005 Selectivity Based upon IC.sub.50 Data NR1/NR2A* NR1/NR2B* AMPA Ant-3,4,3 (Anthracene- 0.065 .mu.M 0.179 .mu.M 2.060 .mu.M spermine) Conjugate 13b *NR1/NR2A and NR1/NR2B are subunits of NMDA receptors in the adult central nervous system predominating in the forebrain (cerebral cortex).

AMPA (.alpha.-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid) is a known protective receptor and the inhibition of AMPA would be detrimental to treatment of brain disorders. Spermine has various effects on NMDA receptors (stimulation or voltage-dependent block) which depends on the subunit composition of the receptors. NR1/NR2B receptors, but not NR1/NR2A receptors, are stimulated by spermine in the presence of saturating levels of agonists. However, both subtypes (NR1/NR2B and NR1/NR2A receptors) are blocked in a voltage dependent manner by spermine. Therefore, by studying the effects of 13b on these two receptors one can deconvolute the mechanism of action of 13b. Low IC.sub.50 values in the NR1/NR2A experiment suggests that the conjugate is successfully inhibiting the receptor via a voltage-dependent block. On the other hand, by looking at the NR1/NR2B receptors, one can assess whether the NMDA receptor is actually stimulated by 13b in the presence of glutamate (the molecule which can hyperstimulate NMDA and cause neuron cell death). A low IC.sub.50 value with the NR1/NR2B receptors suggests that 13b is actually inhibiting the response of the NMDA receptor to excess glutamate, essentially blocking its detrimental effect. The IC.sub.50 data (i.e., the concentration of the polyamine or drug required to inhibit the function of the NMDA or AMPA receptor by 50%) show that the polyamine conjugate of the present invention (13b) selectively inhibits both the NR1/NR2A and NR1/NR2B receptors. which are responsible for damage. This desired effect on the two NR1/NR2A and NR1/NR2B type receptors is accomplished with only a very small quantity of the polyamine conjugate, 13b, 0.065 .mu.M and 0.179 .mu.M, respectively. A much larger quantity, 2.060 .mu.M, of 13b is needed to block the function of the good receptor, AMPA to the same level (50% function). Therefore, tetraamine 13b has clear selectivity for inhibiting the detrimental receptors (NR1/NR2A and NR1/NR2B), while maintaining the action of the good receptor (AMPA).

FIG. 10 shows the effect of anthracene-spermine, 13b, on NMDA and AMPA receptors. Anthracene-spermine is in the class of compounds having formula B: RNR.sup.1(CH.sub.2).sub.rNR.sup.2(CH.sub.2).sub.sNR.sup.3(CH.sub.2).sub.t- NR.sup.4R.sup.5 wherein R is anthracenylmethyl, R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4, R.sup.5 is hydrogen and r is 3, s is 4, and t is 3; it is also known by the abbreviated name, "Ant343".

As shown in FIG. 11, anthracene without a polyamine attached is not effective in controlling or inhibiting the activity of the NMDA receptor, NR1A/NR2A. From 0 to 50 micromolar concentration (.mu.M) of anthracene were used and the NMDA receptor maintained greater than 80% function. In other words, no IC.sub.50 value could be determined from FIG. 11, since even at the highest dose (50 .mu.M), the receptor had greater than 85% function. Therefore, without the appended polyamine molecular recognition element attached, the anthracene ring was not an efficacious inhibitor for the NMDA receptor.

Thus, it is demonstrated that the tetraamine derivatives of the present invention are "smart" molecules that can be very selective in inhibiting the function of NMDA receptors that cause nerve cell death, while allowing other receptors, such as GluR1, to function normally within nerve cells, subjected to the trauma of stroke, Alzheimer's disease and the like. The lower IC.sub.50 values in Examples 4 and 5 mean that less drug is needed to block 50% of the function of each receptor. When administered in less than a toxic amount, the tetraamine derivatives of the present invention provide a selective and potent new therapy for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, such as, brain stoke and Alzheimer's disease.

While the invention has been described, disclosed, illustrated and shown in various terms of certain embodiments or modifications which it has presumed in practice, the scope of the invention is not intended to be, nor should it be deemed to be, limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved especially as they fall within the breadth and scope of the claims here appended.