The rationale for melanoma-specific antitumor agents containing phenolic amines is based in part on the ability of the enzyme tyrosinase to oxidize these prodrugs to toxic intermediates. The phenolic amine compounds 4-S-cysteaminylphenol (4-S-CAP) and N-acetyl-4-S-cysteaminylphenol (N-Ac-4-S-CAP) inhibited in situ thymidylate synthase activity in pigmented melanoma cell lines but had little or no effect on nonpigmented and nonmelanoma cell lines. Theophylline, a cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) phosphodiesterase inhibitor, increased tyrosinase activity and potentiated the inhibition of in situ thymidylate synthase by N-Ac-4-S-CAP. The inhibition of in situ thymidylate synthase by both drugs in pigmented melanoma cells correlated with the inhibition of DNA synthesis and cell growth and was not due to an indirect effect caused by inhibition of the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase. 4-S-CAP inhibition of thymidylate synthase activity in cell free extracts required oxidation of the drug. In the presence of tyrosinase, the concentration causing a 50% inhibition of thymidylate synthase activity (IC50) in cell-free extracts was less than 10 microM, but no inhibition was observed in its absence, even at a drug concentration of 500 microM. Two reducing agents, dithioerythritol and glutathione, effectively blocked the inhibition of thymidylate synthase by oxidized 4-S-CAP. In pigmented melanoma cells containing the enzyme tyrosinase, the quinone-mediated mechanism of inhibition of DNA synthesis via inhibition of thymidylate synthase may be uniquely important in the expression of phenolic amine cytotoxicity.