Effects of structural modification of the daunosamine moiety of anthracycline antibiotics on pKa values determined by capillary zone electrophoresis

Abstract The thermodynamic acid dissociation constants (pK a1 and pK a2 ) of 16 anthracycline antibiotics, including doxorubicin (DOX) and daunorubicin (DAU), their epimers, epidoxorubicin (EDOX) and epidaunorubicin (EDAU), as well as novel anthracycline derivatives containing piperidine (FPIP), morpholine (FMOR) and hexamethylenoimine (FHEX) rings in the formamidine group of the daunosamine moiety were determined by analysis of the dependence between measured electrophoretic mobility and the pH of the buffer using the capillary zone electrophoresis method. The results obtained confirmed the ampholytic character of anthracyclines with at least two ionization states. The determined values were in the range of 8.36-9.28 and 9.38-11.48 for pK a1 and pK a2 arising from ionization of amino and phenolic groups, respectively. Structural modifications in the daunosamine moiety of the studied anthracyclines affected their pharmacological properties, such as antiproliferative activity.