Isomers (R,R-, S,S-, and cis-) of 1,2-diaminocyclohexane (DACH) platinum(IV) complexes with selected axial and equatorial ligands were synthesized and evaluated for in vitro antitumor activity, cellular uptake, and total DNA-Pt adducts. L1210 cells, sensitive to cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (CDDP) and tetraplatin (L1210/0), 160-fold resistant to CDDP [L1210/diamminedichloroplatinum (DDP)], or 70-fold resistant to tetraplatin (L1210/DACH), were used in conjunction with compounds having the general structure DACH-Pt(IV)-X2Y2, where X and Y are axial and equatorial ligands and X2Y2 are specifically Cl2Cl2,Ac2Cl2, (TFA)2Cl2, (OH)2Cl2, and Cl2CBDCA (Cl, chloro; Ac, acetato; TFA, trifluoroacetato; OH, hydroxo; CBDCA, 1,1-cyclobutanedicarboxylato). Comparison of cytotoxicities between isomers of Cl2Cl2,Ac2Cl2, or Cl2CBDCA indicated that R,R-isomers were the most effective against all three cell lines. The relatively lower activity of the S,S- and cis-isomers was cell line dependent: against L1210/DACH, both isomers of Cl2Cl2 were only 2- to 3-fold less effective, and this contrasted with 7- and 26-fold lower cytotoxicities, respectively, against L1210/DDP. Cross-resistance factors in the L1210/DDP and L1210/DACH lines depended on both isomeric form and the nature of axial or equatorial ligand. The L1210/DDP cells were 6- to 9-fold cross-resistant to the R,R-isomer, 8- to 15-fold to S,S-isomer, and 13- to 38-fold to cis-isomer. The L1210/DACH line was only 4- to 7-fold cross-resistant to the three isomers of Ac2Cl2 but cross-resistance to the isomers was 47- to 79-fold for Cl2Cl2 and 22- to 56-fold for Cl2CBDCA complexes. Compared with CDDP, accumulation (2 h at 100 microM drug concentration) of Ac2Cl2 in the three L1210 cell lines was 26-50%, while uptake of Cl2Cl2 and (TFA)2Cl2 was 100-170% and 320-570%, respectively. The greatest DNA binding was seen with Cl2Cl2 in all cell lines, followed by (TFA)2Cl2, CDDP, and Ac2Cl2. DNA binding correlated directly with potency (1/concentration producing 50% inhibition) in the L1210/0 model (r = 0.973, P < 0.016) but not in the L1210/DDP and L1210/DACH models. Accumulation and DNA-binding studies indicated that binding efficiency to DNA was: Cl2Cl2 > Ac2Cl2 > CDDP > (TFA)2Cl2. In a nonreducing environment, the Pt(IV) complexes (20 microM) did not react with salmon sperm DNA. Reduced glutathione (100 microM), as a reducing agent, rendered full binding capacity to Cl2Cl2; binding was 25-30% of the expected maximum for (TFA)2Cl2, while Ac2Cl2 remained inert.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)