Effects of some diethylstilbestrol metabolites and analogs on cytotoxicity and aneuploidy induction in Chinese hamster V79 cells

We have previously reported the inhibitory effects of diethylstilbestrol (1) and optically active indenestrol derivatives on microtubule polymerization in vitro and their disruptive effect on cytoplasmic microtubules and cytotoxicity in cultured Chinese hamster V79 cells. In the present study, the cytotoxicities of (±)-diethylstilbestrol oxide (2), (+)-, (-)-and (±)-monomethyl ethers (4) of 2, (±)-dimethyl ether (5) of 2, diethylstilbestrol pinacolone (3), E, E-dienestrol (6), Z, Z-dienestrol (7), meso-hexestrol (8), a mixture of (1R, 1'S) 4-hydroxyhexestrol and (1R, 1'S) 4'-hydroxyhexestrol (9), and the 4-hydroxy derivative (10) of diethylstilbestrol dimethyl ether were investigated in Chinese hamster V79 cells. The results indicated that the cytotoxic activity of 10 was the strongest of the compounds tested, although its activity was the almost same as that of 1. Moreover, as the activity of (-)-4 was greater than those of 2 and 1 monomethyl ethers, the effect of 4 on cytotoxic activities was elucidated. In conclusion, the present results indicate that the cytotoxic activities of hydroxylated metabolites are greater than those of each mother compound, although epoxidation of 1 leads to a product which can be broken down more readily than the parent compound.