Anthracycline analogues bearing latent alkylating substituents

Abstract

Compound having the structurewhere anthracycline, N, Ra, X, Rb, n and m are as defined in the specification. The compound of the invention is activatable in vivo by esterases and spontaneous dehydration to form an aldehyde. The aldehyde may couple to nucleophiles of intracellular macromolecules.