The cisplatin analog [meso-1,2-bis(2,6-dichloro-4-hydroxyphenyl) ethylenediamine]dichloroplatinum(II) [PtCl2(1)], by virtue of its estrogenic 1,2-diphenylethylenediamine ligand 1, was intended to function as a cytotoxic estrogen. This article reports on the reversible and irreversible interactions of this compound with plasma and plasma proteins in vitro. At 37 degrees C [PtCl2(1)] is > 99% reversibly bound to proteins in plasma. At 0 degree C [PtCl2(1)] reversibly binds to albumin at specific binding sites not shared by 1. By use of HPLC the in vitro half-life of total [PtCl2(1)] in plasma was found to be 35 min at 37 degrees C, which is approximately 1/3 the half-life reported for cisplatin under similar conditions. To understand this decreased stability, irreversible reactions of [PtCl2(1)] with albumin and plasma globulins were investigated. The reaction rate of [PtCl2(1)] with albumin is independent of the protein concentration and is comparable to the rate of the first Pt-Cl hydrolysis reaction. Thus, [PtCl2(1)], like cisplatin, reacts irreversibly with albumin through a solvent-assisted SN2 substitution pathway. Because the hydrolysis rate for [PtCl2(1)] is 40% slower than for cisplatin, irreversible reactions of [PtCl2(1)] with albumin cannot account for the decreased stability of the compound in plasma. alpha-Globulins undergo substitution reactions with [PtCl2(1)] by both solvent-assisted and direct SN2 pathways. The half-life of [PtCl2(1)] in the presence of alpha-globulins at concentrations normally present in plasma (6-16 g/liter) is from 41 to 22 min.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)