Cisplatin

[Racquel Fox 2I]

I've seen a few problems in workshops that ask specific questions about cisplatin, and I don't fully understand them and want to go over it more. Does anyone know where in the textbook it explains?

[Melody Wu 2L]

I actually don't think it's mentioned in the textbook--I did a quick search and nothing showed up. I recommend watching Lavelle's lecture again or stopping by a UA session/TA office hours for clarification.

Here's basically what you need to know:
Cisplatin is a chemotherapy drug that forms a coordination compound with DNA. Know how to draw the Lewis structure (Pt atom with four bonds--two Cl atoms bonded on the SAME side and 2 NH3 molecules on the other side). Keep in mind that if the Cl atoms were on opposite sides, it would not be able to bind to DNA. Cisplatin binds to GG base pairs and stops cell division, which prevents the spread of cancer.

[Vivian Chang 3L]

Hi! To add on to the post above, I don't think cisplatin was mentioned in the textbook, but it was discussed in lecture. To summarize, cisplatin is a chemotherapy drug used to stop cell division (and therefore prevent cancerous cells from rapidly multiplying). Cisplatin is square planar and has 2 Cl atoms on the same side & 2 NH3 molecules on the other side. The cisplatin swaps out its 2 Cl atoms and bonds with 2 consecutive G base pairs, which as a result inhibits replication and transcription. Cisplatin is used instead of trans because if we used trans, the Cl's would be on opposite sides and there would only be one bond between the DNA and transplatin. This means it would form a weaker bond that breaks more easily, and therefore would not be as effective in treatment.