[Study of new antineoplastic antibiotics based on newly discovered action mechanisms].

In our laboratory, we have studied the mechanism of action of tumor-inhibitory antibiotics, including bleomycin, phleomycin, adriamycin, aclarubicin, neothramycin, macromomycin, auromomycin, chartreusin, pluramycin, neopluramycin, xanthomycin A, angustmycins A and C, blasticidin S and phenomycin. The recent advances are summarized. Screening of microorganism for new antitumor antibiotics based upon our studies on mechanism of action are currently ongoing. We are interested in drug-resistance of tumor cells, and have obtained drug-resistant sublines of murine lymphoblastoma L5178Y cells. We have found that glycoprotein synthesis and alkaline phosphodiesterase (APD) activity of the plasma membrane are higher in adriamycin (ADM)-, aclarubicin (ACR)- and bleomycin (BLM)-resistant cell sublines than in the parental cells. An inhibitor of APD has been isolated from a soil Streptomyces, and identified with 2-crotonyloxymethyl-4,5,6-trihydroxycyclohex-2-enone (COTC). COTC inhibits growth of the drug-resistant cells more significantly than the parental cells, and exhibits synergistic activity with ACR against ACR-resistant cells. COTC is a SH inhibitor. Although COTC is a multifunctional drug, the inhibition of DNA polymerase alpha and some mitotic process may be related to its lethal action. In the course of our screening, we have found that a strain of Sterptomyces hygroscopicus produces two substances: one inhibits thymidine and uridine uptake of human leukemic K562 cells, and the other stimulates it. The inhibiting substance has been identified with tubercidin, and the stimulating one has been found to be a novel pyrrolo [2,3-d] pyrimidine antibiotic, cadeguomycin. Cadeguomycin shows low acute toxicity in mice, enhances DTH reaction, and inhibits Ehrlich ascitic carcinoma in mice. The antibiotic exhibits synergistic effects with arabinosylcytosine against growth of K562 cells. Saframycin, discovered by Prof. Arai, Chiba University, is effective against Ehrlich ascitic carcinoma, P388 and L1210 leukemia, and B16 melanoma in mice. The target is DNA. Stubomycin, discovered by Dr. Umezawa, Kitasato Institute, is effective against Sarcoma 180, Ehrlich carcinoma, P388 leukemia, IMC carcinoma and Meth-A tumor in mice, and shows low acute toxicity. The target is plasma membrane.