The enzymatic basis of cyclophosphamide specificity

Metabolic activation of cyclophosphamide (CP) by microsomal mixed function hydroxylases yields 4-hydroxycyclophosphamide and aldophosphamide defined as activated CP. Activated CP shows relatively high cancerotoxic selectivity in vivo and cytotoxic specificity in vitro and can be trapped rapidly by reversible reaction of hemiaminal group of the oxazaphosphorine ring with protein thiols to form protein bound activated CP (protein-S-CP). Protein-S-CP stores activated CP in a highly stable form. From pharmacokinetics of activated CP in mice after the injection of cyclophosphamide, it was calculated that about 17% of the CP dose given was stored in a pool of protein bound activated CP lasting for several days. From therapy studies with 4-(S-ethanol)-sulfido-CP in combination with excess of cysteine, it was concluded that the protein-S-CP pool may be that form of activated CP which is mainly responsible for the specific cytotoxic effects in the tumor cells. On the other hand free unbound 4-OH-CP was shown to contribute mainly to overall toxicity. No spontaneous toxicogenation of activated CP was noted under in vivo conditions. 3'-5' Exonucleases were found to hydrolyze 4-OH-CP, yielding phosphoramide mustard and acrolein as split products. Because of the low affinity of 4-OH-CP for plain 3'-5' exonucleases, it seems however unlikely that these enzymes play a major role in the antitumor effect of CP in vivo. 3'-5' Exonucleases associated to DNA polymerase like in DNA polymerase delta from rabbit bone marrow or in DNA polymerase I from E. coli are more likely candidates for 4-OH-CP toxicogenation because of the much higher specific activity with 4-OH-CP as substrate. In experiments with DNA polymerase I from E. coli, 4-OH-CP was shown to inhibit DNA polymerase activity after toxicogenation by the 3'-5' exonuclease subsite of the enzyme. This suggests an enzyme mechanism based suicide inactivation of the DNA polymerase. Because of the close spatial cooperation of the DNA polymerase and 3'-5' exonuclease subsites with primer/template a site-specific alkylation of DNA is also postulated. Thus we raised the hypothesis that cytotoxic specificity of activated CP is based on the interaction of protein-S-CP (protein bound activated CP) with DNA polymerase/3'-5' exonuclease as the target. In a P 815 mouse mast-cell tumor we determined by means of 5' AMP agarose affinity chromatography two/third of total DNA polymerase to be associated with 3'-5' exonuclease.