title: Indirect oxidation of the antitumor agent procarbazine by tyrosinase--possible application in designing anti-melanoma prodrugs.
abstract: The interaction of tyrosinase with the anticancer drug procarbazine has been investigated. In the presence of the enzyme alone no oxidation of this dialkylhydrazine above the background level was observed. However, when phenolic substrates (4-tert-butylcatechol or N-acetyl-l-tyrosine) were included in the reaction mixture, procarbazine was rapidly degraded. Oxygen consumption measurements showed that in a mixture both the phenolic substrate and the drug were oxidized. The major product of procarbazine degradation was isolated and identified as azoprocarbazine, the first active metabolite of this drug detected in previous in vivo and in vitro studies. This indirect oxidation of the hydrazine group in this anticancer agent indicates possible application of a hydrazine linker in construction of tyrosinase-activated anti-melanoma prodrugs.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemistry, University of Opole, Ul. Oleska 48, 45-052 Opole, Poland.
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gasowska-Bajger
authors.forename: Hubert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wojtasek
mesh_terms: D000363:Agaricales / Q000201:enzymology; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006834:Hydrazines / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015394:Molecular Structure; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D011344:Procarbazine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011355:Prodrugs / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D006834:Hydrazines; D011355:Prodrugs; D011344:Procarbazine; C028134:azoprocarbazine; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase