Bioactivatable, Membrane-Permeant Analogs of Cyclic Nucleotides as Biological Tools for Growth Control of C6 Glioma Cells

Abstract

AbstractIn the present study, the cAMP analogs 8-bromocAMP (8-Brc-AMP), N6-2'O-dibutyryl-cAMP (DBcAMP) and 8-parachlorophenylthio-cAMP (8-CPT-cAMP), as well as the corresponding cAMP-acetoxymethyl (AM)-ester-prodrugs were tested in a HPLC study for their membrane permeability, intracellular accumulation and biotransformation. Antiproliferative activities of these compounds were studied in the rat C6 glioma cell line. Chromatographic analysis revealed that the AM-ester analogs of the cyclic nucleotides penetrate quantitatively into rat C6 glioma cells and generate high amounts of their parent cyclic nucleotides intracellularly within 60 min; however, longterm growth inhibition tested in C6 cells is only slightly enhanced with the AM-ester prodrugs of 8-Br-cAMP or DBcAMP.