The clinical success of mitomycin C (1) and its associated toxicities and resistance have led to efforts to prepare semisynthetic analogues (i.e., KW-2149 (3), BMS-181174 (4)) that have improved pharmacological profiles. In this study, we report the preparation and evaluation of the novel 7-N-(1'-amino-4',5'-dithian-2'-yl)porfiromycin C(8) cyclized imine (6) and its reference compound, 7-N-(1'-aminocyclohex-2'-yl)porfiromycin C(8) cyclized imine (13). Porfiromycin 6 contains a disulfide unit that, upon cleavage, may provide thiol(s) that affect drug reactivity. We demonstrated that phosphines dramatically accelerated 6 activation and solvolysis in methanolic solutions ("pH 7.4") compared with 13. Porfiromycins 6 and 13 efficiently cross-linked EcoRI-linearized pBR322 DNA upon addition of Et3P. We found enhanced levels of interstrand cross-link (ISC) adducts for 6 and 13 compared with porfiromycin (7) and that 6 was more efficient than 13. The large Et3P-mediated rate enhancements for the solvolysis of 6 compared with 13 and a N(7)-substituted analogue of 1, and the increased levels of ISC adducts for 6 compared with 13 and 7 are attributed to a nucleophile-assisted disulfide cleavage process that permits porfiromycin activation and nucleophile (MeOH, DNA) adduction. The in vitro antiproliferative activities of 6 and 13 using the A549 tumor cell line (lung adenocarcinoma) were determined under aerobic and hypoxic conditions and then compared with 7. Both 6 and 13 were more cytotoxic than 7, with 13 being more potent than 6. The C(8) iminoporfiromycins 6 and 13 displayed anticancer profiles similar to 3.