Six new Pt(II) complexes are described having the general formula PtCl(2)(LL), in which LL is a chelating diamine ligand bearing an amino acid as substituent. The amino acids chosen are l-alanine and its methyl ester, and l-phenylalanine. The compounds have been characterized using analytical and spectroscopic methods. The influence on the biological properties of the size of the chelate ring and the structure of the amino acid substituent has been studied. The effect of the presence of a carboxylic or carboxylate group on the amino acid C-terminus has also been determined. It is demonstrated by circular dichroism (CD) that the effect on the secondary structure of DNA induced by the six complexes differ from each other. In all cases, the interaction takes place at the N7 position of the purine bases, as shown by NMR monitoring. The general behavior of these platinum complexes, with one exception, is to uncoil the DNA from the B form to the C form. The interactions with 5'-GMP and DNA have been compared with their expected antitumour activity. The complexes with l-alanine and l-phenylalanine exhibit cytotoxic activity in HeLa and HL-60 cell lines, in a dose- and time-dependent manner. No cytotoxic activity of the methyl ester derivatives have been determined because of their low solubility in aqueous solution.