DNA interstrand crosslinks induced by CENUs were determined using HPLC–MS/MS.
The crosslinking activities of 4 types of CENU were compared.
The crosslinking level induced by ACNU is much higher than the other 3 CENUs.
A correlation was found between crosslinking level and anticancer efficiency.
G–C crosslinking level is a potential biomarker for anticancer activity of CENUs.