Abstract:
The results of studies of the physicochemical properties of alkylating compounds – alkylnitrosoureas (ANU) – with a broad spectrum of biological activities (mutagenic, carcinogenic, and antitumour) as a result of the alkylation and carbamoylation of DNA as well as other cell components are presented. The identified chemical products of the interaction of ANU with DNA and its components are listed. The structural transformations of the DNA macromolecules as a consequence of their chemical modification are examined and the possible biological consequences of the modification of DNA by ANU are discussed. The bibliography includes 148 references.