Mitoxantrone is an anticancer agent that acts as a topoisomerase II poison, however, it can also be activated by formaldehyde to form DNA adducts. Pixantrone, a 2-aza- anthracenedione with terminal primary amino groups in its side chains, forms formaldehyde- mediated adducts with DNA more efficiently than mitoxantrone. Molecular modeling studies indicated that extension of the “linker” region of anthracenedione side arms would allow ...