A series of novel C-7 quinolyl-substituted enantiomers of ofloxacin were used to determine the stereospecificity of topoisomerase II for the C-il methyl group in tricyclic quinolones. In all cases, the S isomer was the most active compound against the eukaryotic enzyme. It was -2.2-fold more potent than the R isomer at inhibiting the overall catalytic activity of topoisomerase II (as monitored by DNA relaxation assays). A markedly greater difference in quinolone activity was observed in enzyme-mediated DNA cleavage reactions.While the S enantiomer stimulated nucleic acid breakage -3.5-fold, the R compound did not enhance and, in fact, decreased initial DNA cleavage levels by -50%o. The activity of the racemic mixture more closely resembled that of the R enantiomer. In competition experiments, the DNA cleavage-enhancing effects of the S isomer were attenuated by the R compound. Taken together, these latter results indicate that the R enantiomer is an antagonist of S isomer-promoted topoisomerase II-mediated DNA cleavage. Finally, the cytotoxic potential of quinolyl-substituted ofloxacin analogs correlated with the ability to stimulate enzyme-mediated DNA cleavage. Thus, stereochemistry appears to be a governing factor for the potential development of tricyclic quinolones as topoisomerase II-targeted drugs with antineoplastic activity.Quinolone-based drugs are a widely used class of oral antibiotics (11,37,42). The primary physiological target of these important pharmacological agents is DNA gyrase, a prokaryotic type II topoisomerase (11,27,36,42). Quinolones cause bacterial death by converting DNA gyrase into a cellular poison (18). This is accomplished by stabilizing covalent enzyme-cleaved DNA complexes (6,11,35) which are naturally occurring intermediates in the catalytic cycle of all type II topoisomerases (26,27).While most medically relevant quinolones have a bicyclic parent ring structure, ofloxacin (see Fig. 1), one of the most potent members of this drug family currently in clinical use, is tricyclic in nature (3,38). Unlike its bicyclic counterparts, the methyl-substituted 1-8 oxazine bridge of ofloxacin possesses a chiral center. This center, which is located at the C-il position, is indicated in Fig. 1. Although the clinical formulation of ofloxacin is a racemic mixture, enantiomerically pure R and S stereoisomers have been characterized (5,7,10,12,15,21). In all cases, the S isomer was substantially more active (.10-fold) than its R antipode at inhibiting the DNA supercoiling reaction of gyrase or preventing the growth of bacterial cells. The activity of the racemic ofloxacin generally was one-half that of the pure S isomer (5,7,10,12,15,21). Thus, it appears that the R enantiomer interacts poorly (at best) with DNA gyrase.The effects of ofloxacin enantiomers on the catalytic activity of eukaryotic topoisomerase II also have been examined (12). As determined by the inhibition of enzymecatalyzed DNA relaxation, an approximately twofold stereospecificity for the S configuration over the R configuratio...