3-(Tetraacetyl glucopyranos-2-yl)-1-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea, an antitumor agent with modified bone marrow toxicity.

position of l-methyl-l-nitrosourea, a bone marrow toxin in animals, results in the formation of a nonmyelosuppressive but diabetogenic antitumor agent streptozotocin (10). An additional observation was the identification of a class of NO nitrosoureas and nitrosamine compounds with a R@!!4@ (C H 2)12H end group that depresses pyridine nucleotide concentrations in liver, the proposed mechanism of dia betogenicity of streptozotocin (8, 9). Nitrosoureas pos sessing a chloroethyl end group, represented by BCNU and CCNU, were shown not to affect NAD concentrations (8). The subject of this report is the preliminary investigation of a newly synthesized aminoglucose nitrosourea containing a chloroethyl end group, GCNU (Chart I). The toxicity and biochemical activity of this compound is compared with previously studied nitrosourea antitumor agents in an attempt to confirm the importance of the aminoglucose carrier in modifying bone marrow toxicity. The importance of NAD depression for nitrosourea-related diabetogenic activity is also examined.