Comparison of the effects of the oral anticancer platinum(IV) complexes oxoplatin and metabolite cis-diammine-tetrachlorido-platinum(IV) on global gene expression of NCI-H526 cells.

Platinum(IV) coordination complexes like oxoplatin (cis,cis,trans-diammine-dichlorido-dihydroxido-platinum[IV]) show high stability and therefore can be utilized orally for outpatient care. Although oxoplatin is capable of binding directly to DNA after prolonged incubation, platinum(IV) agents are considered to be largely inert prodrugs that are converted to highly cytotoxic platinum(II) compounds by reducing substances, enzymes, or microenviron-mental conditions. Reaction of oxoplatin with 0.1 M hydrogen chloride mimicking gastric acid yields cis-diammine-tetrachlorido-platinum(IV) (DATCP[IV]), which exhibits two-fold increased activity. The presence of chlorides as ligands in the axial position results in a high reduction potential that favors transformation to platinum(II) complexes. In this study, the intracellular effect of the highly reactive tetrachlorido derivative was investigated in comparison with an equipotent dose of cisplatin. Genome-wide expression profiling of NCI-H526 small cell lung cancer cells treated with these platinum species revealed clear differences in the expression pattern of affected genes and concerned cellular pathways between DATCP(IV) and cisplatin. Application of DATCP(IV) resulted in extensive downregulation of protein and ATP synthesis, cell cycle regulation, and glycolysis, in contrast to cisplatin, which preferentially targeted glutathione conjugation, pyruvate metabolism, citric acid cycle, and the metabolism of amino acids and a range of carbohydrates. Thus, the oxoplatin metabolite DATCP(IV) constitutes a potent cytotoxic derivative that may be produced by gastric acid or acidic areas prevailing in larger solid tumors, depending on the respective pharmaceutical formulation of oxoplatin. Furthermore, DATCP(IV) exhibits intracellular effects that are clearly different from the expected reduced product cisplatin(II). In conclusion, activation of the platinum(IV) complex oxoplatin seems to involve the generation of a cytotoxic six-coordinate species, dependent on prevailing conditions, and its effects need to be considered in addition to the effects of the potential final platinum(II) product.