N-Monoalkylated (Et) and N,N'-dialkylated (Me and Et) 1,2-bis(2,6-dichloro-4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethylenediamines and their dichloroplatinum(II) complexes were synthesized, and their configuration and conformational behavior were 1H-NMR spectroscopically clarified. The latter was brought in relation to their relative binding affinity (RBA) to the estrogen receptor as well as to their estrogenic potency. In contrast to the RR/SS-configurated diamines, the R/S-configurated ones showed marked estrogenic properties which correlate with the RBA's. In the related R/S-configurated complexes the estrogenic activity is determined by the same structural requirements as in the diamine series. However, a correlation between RBA's and estrogenic potencies is missing. The connection between spatial structure and activity is discussed by use of a drug-receptor model recently proposed by Höltje and Dall.

N-Ethyl and N,N'-diethyl derivatives (erythro- and threo-2-PtCl2; meso- and D,L-3-PtCl2) of [meso- and [D,L-1,2-bis(2,6-difluoro-3-hydroxyphenyl)ethylenediamine]dichloroplatinum(II) (meso- and D,L-1-PtCl2) were synthesized and tested for cytotoxicity on the estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) human MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. In this test, only D,L-1-PtCl2 and threo-2-PtCl2 showed strong cytotoxic properties. This revealed the existence of at least one NH2 fragment as a prerequisite for antitumor activity. Furthermore, studies on the three-dimensional structure of the new compounds demonstrated that the aryl and alkyl residues at the five-membered chelate ring have to be arranged in equatorial positions for the triggering of cytotoxic effects, very likely due to the reaction with d(GpG) sequences in DNA resulting in GG-N7,N7 chelates. A contribution of the ER-mediated processes--(a) hindrance of the cellular processing of Pt-modified DNA by overexpression of high mobility group domain proteins and (b) interruption of the vicious circle of mutual growth stimulation of breast cancer cells and granulocytes/macrophages by reduction of the formation of key cytokines--to the anti-breast cancer activity of threo-2-PtCl2 is unlikely, since we did not observe transcription activation in the test on ER+ MCF-7 breast cancer cells stably transfected with luciferase reporter plasmid ERE(wtc)luc.