Drugs that Disrupt DNA Flashcards
What are the three general types of drugs that disrupt DNA?
- crosslinking agents
- intercalating agents
- drugs that cause strand breaks
What is the major class of drugs that crosslink DNA?
alkylating agents
nitrogen mustards, nitrosoureas and others
What are the 5 nitrogen mustards?
chlorambucil cyclophosphamide ifosfamide mechlorethamine melphalan
What are the 2 nitrosoureas?
carmustine and lomustine
What antibiotic works as a crosslinking agent?
mitomycin
What are the platinum analogs that work as crosslinking agents?
carboplatin, cisplatin, oxaloplatin
Are cross-linking agents cell cycle specific or nonspecific?
They are NOT cell cycle specific, however, they are dependent on proliferation
reactions that initiate cell death can occur during any phase of the cell cycle, but primary toxicity occurs in late G1 and S phase
What’s the general mechanism for the alkylating agents?
They are strong electrophiles that will carry out nucleophile attack (like on the nitrogen of protein or DNA), causing cross-linking of the DNA strands.
This causes miscoding of DNA bases and DNA strand breakage form depurination
What is the method of selective toxicity for the alkylating agents?
- normal cells will stop the cell cycle and repair the damage caused by the alkylating agents
- cancer cells have mutated p53 in their cell cycle chekpoints, so they won’t repair the damage and will die
What are some common resistance mechanisms for the alkylating agents? Are they susceptible to MDR?
- increased production of nucleophilic substances like glutathione
- increased DNA repair (increased repair enzymes)
3 decreased activation of oral agents
They are susceptible to MDR
What’s the major distinguishing feature among alkylating agents that determines whether they can be given IV or orally?
the rate at which they’re converted to a strong electrophile
if it happens instantaneously (mechlorethamine), you have to give IV to minimize blistering
If it has to be activated in various tissues (busulfan, cyclophosphamide) they can be given orally
What alkylating agent is instantaneously activated upon contact with water?
mechlorethamine
What is the derivative of mechlorethamine that needs to be activated by liver CYP450 enzymes?
cyclophosphamide
Since cyclophosphamide requires the liver enzymes, what effect will induction or inhibition of CYP2B6 have on drug concentration?
It will be the opposite of conventional drug/drug interactions:
induction of the enzymes will increase drug effectiveness
inhibition of the enzymes will decrease drug effectiveness
The final steps of cyclophosphamide activation results in the creation of what active metabolite and what toxic metabolite?
active = phosphoramide mustard toxic = acrolein
What toxicity is associated with the acrolein from cyclophosphamide?
hemorrhagic cystitis
What drugs do you co-administer with cyclophosphamide to counteract the hemorrhagic cystitis? How does it work?
Mesna - it binds to acrolein, inhibiting its toxic effects
What are the therapeutic uses for alkylating agents?
They’re pretty much used for every type of cancer
What are the toxicities common to all cross linking agents?
- moderate to severe myelosuppression
- severe N/V
- strong vesicant properties for the IV meds - when escapes from the vein it’s being injected to
- immunosuppression
- gonadal failure
- carcinogenesis (leukemias esp AML)
- mutagenesis
- teratogenesis