<p>The serendipitous discovery of the potent cytotoxic properties of cisplatin brought about a revolution in the treatment of certain types of cancer, but almost fifty years later, there still remain unknown areas in the chemistry of cisplatin. There are questions regarding which form of the drug reaches its DNA target, or why certain DNA sequences are more preferred than others for reaction with cisplatin. The work presented here aims to address some of these problems, using quantum chemical calculations to complement and interpret available experimental data.</p><p>Cisplatin's activation reactions are explored by Density Functional Theory (DFT) on two model systems, one solely using a self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) for modeling bulk water, and one including an additional partial solvation shell of water molecules. It is concluded that adding explicit solvation provides a better picture than using SCRF solvation alone. The energy surface supports the view that the active form of cisplatin is the monoaquated form.</p><p>The activation reactions of the cisplatin-derived drug, JM118, are investigated using DFT and SCRF calculations using three solvation model systems. The results show a slower rate of hydrolysis for the first reaction, and a faster rate for the second, suggesting diaquated JM118 as the main DNA binding form of the drug.</p><p>Diaquated cisplatin's first and second reaction with guanine and adenine are studied using DFT and SCRF solvation. Cisplatin's propensity toward guanine in the first substitution is explained by larger stabilisation energy for the initially formed complex and by favoured kinetics. For the second substitution, higher stability in complexation with guanine over adenine is ascribed as the main factor favouring guanine over adenine substitution. This provides the first explanation for the predominance of 1,2-d(GpG) over 1,2-d(ApG) adducts, and the direction specificity of the 1,2-d(ApG) adducts.</p>

The serendipitous discovery of the potent cytotoxic properties of cisplatin brought about a revolution in the treatment of certain types of cancer, but almost fifty years later, there still remain unknown areas in the chemistry of cisplatin. There are questions regarding which form of the drug reaches its DNA target, or why certain DNA sequences are more preferred than others for reaction with cisplatin. The work presented here aims to address some of these problems, using quantum chemical calculations to complement and interpret available experimental data. Cisplatin's activation reactions are explored by Density Functional Theory (DFT) on two model systems, one solely using a self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) for modeling bulk water, and one including an additional partial solvation shell of water molecules. It is concluded that adding explicit solvation provides a better picture than using SCRF solvation alone. The energy surface supports the view that the active form of cisplatin is the monoaquated form. The activation reactions of the cisplatin-derived drug, JM118, are investigated using DFT and SCRF calculations using three solvation model systems. The results show a slower rate of hydrolysis for the first reaction, and a faster rate for the second, suggesting diaquated JM118 as the main DNA binding form of the drug. Diaquated cisplatin's first and second reaction with guanine and adenine are studied using DFT and SCRF solvation. Cisplatin's propensity toward guanine in the first substitution is explained by larger stabilisation energy for the initially formed complex and by favoured kinetics. For the second substitution, higher stability in complexation with guanine over adenine is ascribed as the main factor favouring guanine over adenine substitution. This provides the first explanation for the predominance of 1,2-d(GpG) over 1,2-d(ApG) adducts, and the direction specificity of the 1,2-d(ApG) adducts.

In the 1980's, Nicholas Farrell developed a range of structurally distinct multinuclear Pt complexes that form long-range interstrand crosslinks (IXLs) in DNA. The dinuclear complex [{trans-PtCl2(NH3)}2-µ-(H2N(CH2)6NH2)]2+ (1,1/t,t) was the first of this series to show promising results, however, it was the trinuclear complex [{trans-PtCl2(NH3)}2-µ-trans-Pt(NH3)2(H2N(CH2)6NH2)2]4+ (1,0,1/t,t,t or BBR3464) that was chosen for clinical trials based on significantly increased cytotoxicity compared to 1,1/t,t and cisplatin. Molecular biology experiments have shown that 1,1/t,t exclusively forms IXLs in DNA in the 5'¿ 5' direction, whilst 1,0,1/t,t,t can form IXLs in both the 5'¿5' and 3'¿3' directions. Previously, 2D [1H,15N] HSQC NMR has been used to study the formation of 5'–5' 1,4–GG IXLs. The formation of 3'–3' 1,4–GG IXLs have been studied as part of this thesis. More recently, Pt complexes such as [{trans–PtCl2(NH3)}2{H2N(CH2)6(NH2(CH2)2NH2)(CH2)6NH2}]4+ (1,1/t,t–6,2,6) and [{trans–PtCl2(NH3)}2{H2N(CH2)6(NH2)(CH2)6NH2}]3+ (1,1/t,t–6,6), where the charged central Pt moiety of 1,0,1/t,t,t is replaced by a polyamine linker, have been developed in the Farrell group and show increased potency compared to 1,0,1/t,t,t. The complex 1,1/t,t 6,2,6 is a lead candidate currently undergoing Phase I clinical trials. Prior to the work presented in this thesis, little was known about the aquation chemistry or kinetics of DNA binding of these novel complexes. Reported in Chapter 3 is the study of the formation of 3'–3' 1,4–GG IXLs by both 1,0,1/t,t,t and 1,1/t,t in the duplex 5' {d(TATACATGTATA)2} (33–14XL) (pH 5.4, 298K). A combination of 1D 1H and 2D [1H, 15N] HSQC NMR experiments was used to directly compare the results with the stepwise formation of the 5'–5' 1,4–GG IXL with the previously studied duplex, 5' {d(ATATGTACATAT)2} (55–14XL), under the same conditions. Preassociation as well as aquation were similar, however, differences were observed at the monofunctional binding step with evidence for numerous monofunctional adducts. Both reactions did not yield a single 3'–3' 1,4–GG IXL, rather several adducts that could not be characterised. Molecular dynamics simulations of the 3'–3' 1,4–GG IXLs showed highly distorted lesions that may have implication in cellular repair processes.