The effects of N-benzyladriamycin-14-valerate (AD198) and N,N-dimethyladriamycin-14-valerate (AD199), two novel lipophilic N-alkyl derivatives of Adriamycin (ADR), on cell growth and cell cycle distribution were investigated in L1210 cells grown in suspension. Following a 1-h exposure to the drug levels selected, growth inhibition was noticeable in all cultures for most or all of the observation period of 96 h. With flow cytometry, an asynchronous cell population was measured with respect to cellular DNA, RNA, and light scatter (size) properties following a 1-h incubation with the various ADR analogues. In addition, flow cytometric techniques were utilized to determine whether drug treatment altered the sensitivity of DNA in situ to acid-induced denaturation or to binding by small DNA-intercalating dyes. Unlike the parent compound ADR or its DNA-nonbinding derivative N-trifluoroacetyladriamycin-14-O-hemiadipate (AD143), the N-alkyl derivatives AD198 and AD199 only slightly affected L1210 cell cycle traverse over the first 5 h posttreatment. However, by 24 h, AD199 (0.62 micrograms/ml) caused an S- and G2 + M-phase accumulation which became more dramatic at 48 and 72 h. AD198 (3.27 micrograms/ml) also caused an accumulation of cells predominantly in G2 + M phase at longer culture times (48 to 96 h). The two half-substituted congeners N-benzyladriamycin (AD288) and N,N-dimethyladriamycin (AD280) affected L1210 cell cycle traverse over a similar time scale at concentrations of 12.3 and 4.17 micrograms/ml, respectively. AD280 blocked cells in G1 and G2 + M whereas AD288 caused predominantly a G2 + M accumulation. While neither ADR nor AD143 interfered appreciably with binding and fluorescence of the intercalating dye acridine orange, all of the N-alkyl analogues tested reduced the fluorescence signal of acridine orange-stained L1210 cells by 26 to 60%. This effect lasted, with decreasing intensity, for at least 48 h following a 1-h exposure to the drugs. In addition, while ADR appeared to stabilize DNA in situ against acid-induced denaturation, all N-alkyl derivatives, to varying degrees, tended to increase DNA denaturability. Thus alkylation at the glycoside amine combined with the lipophilic 14-valerate side chain function accounts for several new biochemical and biological properties of AD198 and AD199, relative to ADR.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)