Dose-modifying Factor Research Articles

DNA ligands as radioprotectors: molecular studies with Hoechst 33342 and Hoechst 33258.

Following earlier reports of radioprotection of cells by Hoechst 33342, we have investigated radioprotection of isolated DNA by the minor groove binders Hoechst 33258 and Hoechst 33342. Analysis of radiation-induced single strand breakage in plasmid DNA (pBR322) showed concentration-dependant protection, up to a dose-modifying factor of 9.3 for 25 microM Hoechst 33258, at which the ligand: bp ratio was 0.67. Since the ligands bind at discrete sites along DNA, sequencing gel analysis was used to investigate the radioprotective effects of the ligands both at and between the ligand-binding sites. These experiments showed that although protection was more pronounced at the binding sites, there was also some reduction in strand-breakage between binding sites. Detailed analysis at a particular site, the EcoR1 site in a 3'-32P-endlabelled 100bp restriction fragment from pBR322, showed that protection was most pronounced at the 'inner T': GAATTC. Irradiation of a synthetic oligodeoxynucleotide containing a single ligand-binding site, and labelled at the 5'-end, gave the expected doublet bands in high resolution gels, corresponding to fragments with 3'-phosphoryl- and 3'-phosphorylglycollate terminii. In the Hoechst 33258-protected sample, the 3'-phosphorylglycollate band was preferentially suppressed within the binding site. These results, together with published crystal structure data for a Hoechst 33258/dodecamer complex, suggest that the site-specific radioprotection may be due to H-atom donation from the benzimidazole NH groups in the ligand to radiation-induced radicals on 4'-deoxyribosyl carbons. In contrast to the experiments with purified DNA, in which the two ligands yielded similar results, Hoechst 33342 was a much more active radioprotector in experiments with intact cells. For 20 microM Hoechst 33342, the dose-modifying factor was 1.7 at 1% survival and 1.3 at 10% survival, whereas the same level of Hoechst 33258 yielded barely detectable protection, perhaps due to a demonstrably lower cellular uptake. Presumably the radioprotection of cells by Hoechst 33342 is due to suppression of DNA strand breakage, and further investigation of the protection mechanism(s) should enable development of improved radioprotectors.

Effect of a bovine hemoglobin preparation (SBHS) on the response of two murine solid tumors to radiation therapy or chemotherapeutic alkylating agents.

When tested in mice bearing the Lewis lung tumor with 2, 3, or 4 Gy daily for 5 days, SBHS produced a dose-modifying factor of 1.6 that was increased to 2.1 with carbogen. The addition of SBHS (1.32 gm protein/kg) to treatment with melphalan (MEL) resulted in a 2.2-fold increase in the tumor growth delay (TGD). The combination of SBHS with carbogen (6 h) produced a 3.6-fold increase in TGD compared with MEL alone. The addition of SBHS to treatment with cyclophosphamide (CTX) resulted in a 2-fold increase in the TGD. However, the combination of SBHS and carbogen was much more effective resulting in a 4.6-fold increase in TGD. There was a 1.3-fold increase in TGD with SBHS and CDDP compared with CDDP alone. The combination of SBHS and carbogen was a more effective addition to CDDP resulting in a 1.9-fold increase in TGD. The addition of SBHS to treatment with BCNU increased the TGD produced by BCNU by 1.5-fold. The combination of SBHS/BCNU and carbogen resulted in a 2.3-fold increase in TGD over that obtained with BCNU alone.

Steepness of the clinical dose-control curve and variation in the in vitro radiosensitivity of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Inter-tumour heterogeneity in radiobiological parameters has been proposed as an explanation for the quite shallow dose-response curves for local tumour control after radiotherapy observed in clinical data. Variability in the intrinsic radiosensitivity is potentially a very strong source of variation in local control. A method is presented for forcing such variability into a direct analysis (maximum-likelihood estimation) of tumour control data. The method is used to reanalyse a series of local tumour control data in 181 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx taking the distribution of in vitro radiosensitivities from an independent series of patients into account. It is concluded that direct application of the in vitro radiosensitivities leads to an unrealistically high estimate for the number of target cells per cm3. A more realistic fit is obtained after including a dose-modifying factor to correct for the apparent difference between in vitro and clinical radiosensitivities. The value of this factor is estimated at 2.4 with approximate 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.3, 5.9). It is suggested that hypoxia plays a role in reducing the radiosensitivity of tumours in clinical radiotherapy. Using this method provides more biologically reasonable estimates of other radiobiological parameters. The target-cell doubling time during treatment is estimated at 3.2 days with 95% CI (1.7, 8.7) days. Estimates of the target cell density in typical patients vary between 1.8 x 10(-6) and 6.6 x 10(-4) when the delay before accelerated tumour growth is assumed to vary between 0 and 28 days. Using the method presented here, the shallow clinical dose-control curve is interpreted as a superposition of quite steep dose-response relationships in individual patients. The steepness of the dose-control curve for a typical patient is characterized by a normalized dose-response gradient (the percentage change in tumour control for a 1% change in total dose) of 7.3 after stratification for intrinsic radiosensitivity as compared with 1.6 if such stratification is not performed.

Oxygen effect for DNA double-strand break induction determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

The induction of DNA double-strand breaks (dsb) following irradiation under oxygenated and hypoxic conditions with and without misonidazole was measured by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) in a human bladder carcinoma cell line. The dose-response curve for DNA dsb detection by PFGE was biphasic with an apparent reduction in rate of dsb induced with dose. Oxygen enhancement ratios (OER) for cell survival (at a surviving fraction of 0.1) and for DNA damage assessed by PFGE (at 80% retained) were 2.0 and 3.0 respectively. Dose-modifying factors for misonidazole (15 mM), of 1.9 (survival) and 2.4 (DNA damage) were found. Although the magnitude of the inter-experiment variations limit the precision with which cell survival and DNA electrophoresis can be compared, the data do support a simple correlation between these two measures of response. When DNA dsb induction frequency was assessed from the number average molecular weight, values of 2.7 (+/- 0.3), 0.7 (+/- 0.1) and 2.6 (+/- 0.5) x 10(-9) dsb/bp/Gy were found for irradiation under oxic, hypoxic alone and hypoxic + misonidazole conditions respectively. This gives an OER of 3.9 and a DMF of 3.7.

The Relative Biological Effectiveness of Mixed Fission-Neutron-γ Radiation on the Hematopoietic Syndrome in the Canine: Effect of Therapy on Survival

Acute lethality syndromes produced by the accidental exposure of humans to mixed neutron and gamma radiation from external sources can be related to acute lethality from photon irradiation using the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) for common end points. We used the canine as a model to study injury following exposure to mixed neutron and gamma radiation from the AFRRI TRIGA reactor. Exposures from the reactor were steady-state mode (40 cGy/min, bilateral) with an average neutron energy of 0.85 MeV; tissue-air ratio = 0.59 at midline abdominal. Healthy male and female canines were irradiated free-in-air behind a 6-in. lead wall; the neutron-gamma ratio was 5.4:1 at the entrance skin surface; exposures are reported as midline tissue doses. Bilateral exposure resulted in an LD50/30 of 153 cGy without therapeutic clinical support. Addition of clinical support consisting of fluids, antibiotics, and fresh irradiated platelets/whole blood increased the bilateral LD50/30 to 185 cGy, a dose modifying factor (DMF) of 1.21. This corresponds to respective LD50/30 values for bilateral 60Co gamma exposures of 260 and 338 cGy for nonsupported and clinically supported animals, and a DMF of 1.30. The RBE based on the values determined at midline tissue is approximately 1.69. Clinical support after bilateral irradiation produced a similar DMF to those of mixed fission neutrons and gamma rays and 60Co gamma rays alone. The RBE of 1.69 for midline tissue bilateral exposures is higher than 1, an RBE often cited for large animals. Therapeutic support administered to lethally irradiated canines significantly improved survival and increased the LD50/30 independent of radiation quality.

Effect of oxygen level on the enhancement of tumor response to radiation by perfluorochemical emulsions or a bovine hemoglobin preparation

Attempts to correct tumor hypoxia with oxygen-carrying solutions have used high concentrations of inspired oxygen (Fi0 2 100% or 95%). In the clinic, however, obtaining such high levels of FiO 2 using mask ventilation in older patients or in children may be difficult. Since lower levels of F102 had not been previously tested, we examined the antitumor efficacy of FiO. levels of 65, 85, and 95% breathed for 1 hr prior to and during irradiation used with the concentrated perfluorochemical emulsion F44E, the less concentrated emulsion, FluosolDA, or a new preparation consisting of purified bovine hemoglobin solution, PBHS. When tested in mice bearing the Lewis lung carcinoma with 2, 3, or 4 Gy daily for 5 days, daily Fluosol-DA produced only a small increase in the slope of the tumor growth delay versus irradiation alone, when used with 85% FiO 2 (dose modifying factor [DMF] 1.3), but produced a DMF of 2.1 with 95% FiO 2 Various concentrations of F44E (2, 4, or 8 g PFC/kg) each required a 95% FiO 2 for full effect but the 8 g/kg dose had a discernable effect with an FiO 2 of 65% and 85% (DMF 1.25 and 1.30, respectively). For PBHS, in contrast, a DMF of 1.6 was observed at 20% FiO 2 but surprisingly this increased further to 2.1 with 95% FiO 2 Further investigations of PBHS with irradiation demonstrated that daily administration of PBHS (12 ml/kg) 1 hr before single Xray fractions of 5, 10, 15, or 20 Gy with 20% FiO, resulted in a DMF of 1.6–1.7 in the FSaIIC fibrosarcoma compared with irradiation alone when ascertained by tumor cell excision assay. These results indicate that to achieve maximum antitumor benefit with these oxygen-carrying solutions with radiation therapy, care must be taken to insure that FiO 2 levels near 100% are achieved.

The relationships between glutathione, glutathione-S-transferase and cytotoxicity of platinum drugs and melphalan in eight human ovarian carcinoma cell lines

The role of glutathione (GSH) and GSH-S-transferase (GST) activity in modulating the cytotoxicity of four platinum drugs and melphalan was evaluated in eight human ovarian carcinoma cell lines. The cell lines were established from solid and ascitic tumours from pretreated and untreated patients, and showed a wide spectrum of sensitivity to several platinum II and platinum IV drugs; cisplatin, carboplatin, CHIP and tetraplatin. Intracellular glutathione concentration measured in the cell lines showed a significant (P = 0.05) correlation with IC50 values for cisplatin (r = 0.91), carboplatin (r = 0.87) and CHIP (r = 0.88). The correlation between GSH levels and IC50 values for melphalan (r = 0.76) or tetraplatin (r = 0.60) was not as significant. GST activity showed no correlation with IC50 values, for the four platinum drugs. To determine the significance of the elevated GSH concentration in the refractory cell lines, the effect of D,L-buthionine-S, R-sulfoximine (BSO) mediated GSH depletion on platinum drug cytotoxicity was examined in one of the most sensitive (CH1) and two of the least sensitive (relatively resistant; SKOV-3, HX/62) cell lines. Comparison was made with the effect of GSH depletion on melphalan cytotoxicity in these three lines. These lines were differentially sensitive to BSO, with the two most platinum drug resistant lines being more tolerant to BSO than the sensitive CH1 line. Depletion of cellular GSH, ranging between 61 and 88%, had a differential effect on the sensitivity to PtII vs PtIV drugs in the three cell lines: cytotoxicity of the PtIV drugs, tetraplatin and CHIP, was substantially enhanced in both the resistant and sensitive cell lines; in contrast, the cytotoxicity of the PtII drugs, cisplatin and carboplatin, was only significantly increased in one of the two relatively resistant lines (SKOV-3) and in the sensitive (CH1) line after GSH depletion. Moreover the dose modification factor (DMF) for the PtII agents were lower than those for PtIV agents in the three cell lines. The dose modification factor for tetraplatin after BSO treatment was similar to that observed for melphalan in all three cell lines. In the SKOV-3 cell line extending the BSO pretreatment period to 48 h from 24 h marginally reduced the cytotoxicity of cisplatin, whereas the cytotoxicity of the other three drugs remained similar to that observed after 24 h BSO pretreatment. In contrast, extending the BSO treatment to 24 h after drug exposure potentiated the cytotoxicity of cisplatin, CHIP and tetraplatin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Cyclophosphamide 24 hours before or after total body irradiation: effects on lung and bone marrow

Preparative regimens for bone marrow transplantation (BMT) use a sequence of drugs, such as cyclophosphamide, in combination with radiation. However, the optimum sequencing of the two agents that will maximize tumor cell kill and minimize normal tissue damage is unknown and controversial. The studies presented here were done in order to determine the effect of cyclophosphamide on bone marrow and lung damage in mice when given 24 h before or after total body irradiation (TBI). A range of single doses of TBI was given before or after a single sublethal dose of 180 mg/kg of cyclophosphamide. The bone marrow of all mice intended for lung damage assessment was reconstituted with 5 × 10 6 syngeneic bone marrow cells. Lung damage was assessed by breathing rate and lethality; bone marrow damage by lethality at 30 days. LD 50 values for pneumonitis were obtained between 30 and 84 days after cyclophosphamide and radiation and between 80 and 180 days after radiation alone. Dose modifying factors were obtained as the ratio of LD 50 s for mice given only TBI compared to those for mice given cyclophosphamide and TBI. Cyclophosphamide enhanced radiation pneumonitis when given before or after TBI, giving DMFs of 1.4 and 1.2 (1.1–1.4,95 % c.l.) respectively. The effect of cyclophosphamide on radiation pneumonitis was drug dose-dependent. The LD 50 for death from bone marrow damage was reduced when cyclophosphamide was given either before or after TBI but the effect was greater, i.e. the LD 50 was lower when cyclophosphamide was given after TBI. These data show that cyclophosphamide given 24 h after TBI causes less lung damage but more bone marrow damage in this mouse model.

Sensitization of Low-Dose-Rate Irradiation by Nonlethal Hyperthermia

To assess whether hyperthermia could radiosensitize cells irradiated at a low dose rate, Chinese hamster V79 cells were simultaneously heated and irradiated at 0.86 Gy/h. The data showed that heat treatments at 39 and 40 degrees C, which did not induce heat killing alone or high-dose-rate radiosensitization, resulted in enhanced cell killing with low-dose-rate irradiation. The dose-modification factor (ratio of the slopes of the curves for low dose rate and high dose rate) was reduced to 1.8 at 39 degrees C and 1.4 at 40 degrees C, compared to a value of 2.1 at 37 degrees C. These data indicate that nonlethal heat treatments can cause enhanced radiosensitization under low-dose-rate conditions. The implications of these results for interstitial thermoradiotherapy are discussed.

A comparison of radiosensitization by etanidazole and pimonidazole in mouse tumors

Radiosensitization by pimonidazole (Ro 03-8799) was tested in three murine tumors, EMT6/SF using the excision assay, SCC-VII/SF using the excision and growth delay assays, and MDAH-MCa-4 using TCD50 assays with both single doses and 6 fractions of radiation with a 24-hr interfraction interval. Results were compared with those using etanidazole (SR-2508), both at equitoxic doses and at doses giving tumor concentrations similar to those achievable in the clinic. In excision assays with EMT6/SF and SCC-VII/SF tumors, pimonidazole and etanidazole gave similar radiosensitization at similar concentrations in the tumors. Pimonidazole, however, did not demonstrate radiosensitization in SCC-VII/SF tumors in the growth delay assay, despite tumor concentrations that gave maximum sensitization in the excision assay. Furthermore, pimonidazole gave less than expected sensitization in single dose and 6-fraction TCD50 assays with MDAH-MCa-4 tumors, and less sensitization than comparable levels of etanidazole in this tumor line. When the concentration of pimonidazole in the tumors was approximately 0.36 μmoles/g the dose modification factor (DMF = dose without sensitizer/dose with sensitizer to give an isoeffect) was 1.56 (1.40–1.74, 95% c.l.) in single dose TCD50 assays. Etanidazole, however, gave a DMF of 1.92 (1.59–2.32) with a tumor concentration of approximately 0.32 μmoles/g and 1.69 (1.46–1.96) with a tumor concentration of approximately 0.21 μmoles/g. Thus, etanidazole gave more consistent sensitization for different tumors and different endpoints than did pimonidazole. The results appear to confirm the disappointing performance of pimonidazole in the clinic.

Effect of environmental conditions (pH, oxygenation, and temperature) on misonidazole cytotoxicity and radiosensitization in vitro and in vivo in fsaiic fibrosarcoma

The effect of pH on misonidazole-induced cell killing at normal and elevated temperatures and on radiosensitization by misonidazole at 37dgC was assessed in FSaIIC fibrosarcoma cells in vitro. At doses of 5–500 μM for 1 hr, misonidazole was 1.5- to 2-fold more toxic toward hypoxic versus euoxic cells at 37°C and pH 7.40. At 42°C and 43°C at pH 7.40, a less than 2-fold increase in cytotoxicity was observed in both normally oxic and hypoxic cells as compared with 37°C. At pH 6.45 and 37°C, misonidazole was less cytotoxic toward both euoxic and hypoxic cells than at pH 7.40. Unexpectedly, exposure to misonidazole at 42°C or 43°C and pH 6.45 caused no significant increase in cytotoxicity over that attributable to hyperthermia alone. Similarly, the dose modifying effect of misonidazole on single radiation fractions in vitro was also reduced at pH 6.45 versus pH 7.40 (2.60 versus 2.40, p < 0.01). In vivo, treatment of the FSaIiC tumor with misonidazole (1 g/kg) and/or local hyperthermia (43°C for 30 min to the tumor-bearing limb) in conjunction with radiation (10, 20, or 30 Gy) yielded a radiation dose modifying factor for misonidazole of 1.32, for hyperthermia of 1.38, and for the combination of 2.06 (probably additive). Analysis of the cytotoxicity achieved by these treatments in Hoechst 33342 dye-selected tumor subpopulations demonstrated that, whereas radiation was more toxic toward bright (presumably euoxic) cells, misonidazole, hyperthermia, and the combination were significantly more toxic toward dim (presumably hypoxic) cells. The addition of both hyperthermia and misonidazole to radiation more than overcame the relative resistance of the dim subpopulation to 10 Gy. These results indicate that misonidazole is a reasonable drug for use with hyperthermia and radiation to increase killing of hypoxic cells, but the decrease in cytotoxicity and radiosensitizing abilities of this agent observed under acidotic conditions could reduce the effectiveness of this treatment.

Effect of pH, oxygenation, and temperature on the cytotoxicity and radiosensitization by etanidazole

The effect of etanidazole was examined in vitro and in vivo in the FSaIIC tumor system. At pH 7.40 and 37°C, etanidazole at 5–500 μM for 1 hr was minimally cytotoxic. At 42°C and 43°C, however, the cytotoxicity of etanidazole increased. Etanidazole was more cytotoxic at pH 6.45 and 37° than at pH 7.40 by about I log. Increasing the temperature to 42°C or 43°C at pH 6.45 during drug exposure, however, caused little increase in drug killing above the lethality of hyperthermia. When the radiosensitizing abilities of etanidazole were tested in vitro, there was a radiation dose modifying factor of 2.40 at pH 7.40, but only 1.70 at pH 6.45. In vivo, etanidazole (1 g/kg) produced a radiation dose modifying factor of 1.47, whereas 43°C for 30 min produced a radiation dose modifying factor of 1.38. The combination resulted in a radiation dose modifying factor of 2.29. When the cytotoxicities of hyperthermia (43°C × 30 min), etanidazole (500 mg/kg or 1 mg/kg), and radiation (10 Gy) combinations were assayed by Hoechst 33342 dye selected tumor subpopulations, 43°C × 30 min increased the killing of irradiated dim cells by ∼9.2-fold but by only 2.9-fold in bright cells. Etanidazole (1 g/kg) increased radiation killing of bright cells by about 3-fold and dim cells by about 4.3-fold. The combination of hyperthermia and etanidazole increased the killing of both dim and bright cells exposed to radiation by ∼10-fold versus 10 Gy alone.

Radiosensitizing and cytotoxic properties of mitomycin C in a C3H mouse mammary carcinoma in vivo

The radiosensitizing and cytotoxic properties of Mitomycin C (MMC) was investigated in vivo using regrowth delay and tumor control assays. MMC significantly enhanced the radiation-induced growth delay when administered 15 min before irradiation; the slope of the dose response curve significantly increased and corresponded to a Dose Modifying Factor (DMF) of 1.9 (1.5–2.3; p < 0.001). When MMC was given 4 hr after irradiation, the additional regrowth delay resulted in a parallel shift of the dose response curve, and MMC was not significantly dose modifying (DMF 1.3 (0.9–1.3); p > 0.05). From isobologram analysis it was found that the preirradiation MMC schedule resulted in supra-additive responses, whereas MMC given after irradiation had an additive effect. The enhancement of radiation-induced tumor control was similarly found to peak when MMC was given 6 hr to 15 min prior to irradiation. At these intervals, the observed TCD 50 for the combined treatments relative to radiation alone corresponded to Enhancement Ratios of 1.27 and 1.29, respectively ( p < 0.001). Longer intervals between the modalities reduced the enhancement, but the combined treatments were still significantly better than radiation alone (ER 1.12, 1.16 and 1.17; p < 0.001). The significant enhancement of tumor control correlated with a substantial drug-induced cytotoxic effect toward hypoxic tumor cells, as determined by clamped TCD 50 experiments. A single dose of MMC (3 mg/kg) was found to kill up to 97% of all hypoxic tumor cells.

Protection of Pig Epidermis against Radiation-induced Damage by the Infusion of BW12C

BW12C, which was developed as an agent for the treatment of sickle cell anaemia, increases the binding of oxygen to haemoglobin and hence reduces the availability of oxygen to tissues. Due to these changes in oxygen availability BW12C could act as a protector against radiation-induced injury to normal tissues. In this study the potential value of BW12C, as a radioprotector, was studied in the irradiated epidermis of the pig. The infusion of BW12C caused an instant left shift of the oxygen dissociation curve, an effect that lasted for approximately 1.5 h. This left shift in the oxygen dissociation curves increased with increasing dose of the drug. There appeared to be no long-term systemic effects produced by doses of 20-100 mg/kg of BW12C. In the first 90 min after the infusion of BW12C skin fields were irradiated with single doses of beta-rays from strontium-90 plaques. The incidence of moist desquamation was used as an endpoint for assessing the severity of the radiation response. With animals breathing approximately 70% oxygen in the anaesthetic gas mixture, the ED50 values for moist desquamation were 30-31 Gy after a dose of 30 and 50 mg/kg, and 37-38 Gy for 75 and 100 mg/kg doses of BW12C. These ED50 values were significantly higher than the value of 27.3 Gy for radiation alone. This indicated dose modification factors (DMF) with mean values of approximately 1.13 and approximately 1.40 for irradiation following the infusion of low (30-50 mg/kg) and high (75-100 mg/kg) doses of the drug, respectively. With the animals breathing air (approximately 21% of oxygen) in the 2% halothane anaesthesia gas mixture, irradiation in the presence of 30 and 50 mg/kg of BW12C resulted in ED50 values of approximately 39 Gy for moist desquamation, which was significantly higher than the value of 31.2 Gy for radiation alone. Surprisingly, a higher dose of 75 mg/kg of BW12C resulted in a lower ED50 value for moist desquamation of 34.38 Gy. Irradiation in the presence of a dose of 100 mg/kg of BW12C produced an ED50 value which was not significantly different from that for radiation alone. In the situation where animals were breathing air (approximately 21% oxygen) during irradiation a DMF of 1.14 was obtained for irradiation alone, when the results were compared with those for irradiation alone with approximately 70% oxygen in the anaesthetic gas mixture.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Circumvention of Drug Resistance in Cisplatin-resistant Sublines of the Human Squamous Carcinoma Cell Line HLac 79 in Vitro and in Vivo

In a previous report we have characterized cisplatin (CDDP)-resistant sublines (HLac 79-DDP1 to DDP4) of the recloned squamous cell head and neck cancer (SCHNC) line HLac 79-ML revealing significant alterations of glutathione (GSH) metabolism and drug accumulation. In order to overcome CDDP-resistance in HLac 79 cells we now investigated the effect of buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), a specific inhibitor of GSH synthesis, verapamil (VRP), a calcium channel blocker that has been found to modulate resistance towards a broad spectrum of antineoplastic drugs, cyclosporin A (CSA), an immunosuppressive agent probably affecting drug pharmacokinetics, and aphidicolin (APC), a fungal metabolite interfering with DNA repair through inhibition of DNA polymerase alpha, on HLac 79 CDDP-sensitivity. Using the colorimetric MTT assay, GSH depletion with BSO led to a significant decrease of the 50% inhibitory drug concentration (IC50) in all HLac 79 sublines by dose modifying factors (IC50 CDDP/IC50 BSO + CDDP) ranging from 1.8 to 3.3. VRP, CSA or APC were not effective to overcome CDDP resistance in HLac 79 cells. The potential of BSO to modulate CDDP resistance in vitro was tested in vivo in HLac 79 tumor bearing NMRI nu-nu mice subsequently. Oral administration of BSO 7 days prior and during (days -7 to 8) CDDP treatment (3 mg/kg bw i.p. days 0, 4, 8) produced a significant prolongation of mean survival time mean as compared to chemotherapy alone. This held true for both the maternal line ML in terms of chemosensitization (CDDP: mean = 40.2 +/- 15.9 days vs. CDDP + BSO: mean = 80.3 +/- 30.4 days, p less than 0.001) and the CDDP resistant subline DDP4 in terms of partially overcoming secondary drug resistance (CDDP: mean = 56.5 +/- 13.6 days vs. CDDP + BSO: mean = 72.5 +/- 15.8 days, p less than 0.001). Enhanced toxicity of combined BSO and CDDP treatment manifested by transient 10% reduction of animal mean body weight.

Thymidine-cisplatin vs thymidine-carboplatin interactions in human T-cell acute leukemia

Thymidine is shown to sensitize JM human T-cell acute leukemia cells to cisplatin killing in vitro with dose modifying factors of 1.72, 1.62, and 1.76 at 200, 500, and 1000 μg thymidine/ml × 24 h. The magnitude of thymidine-cisplatin sensitization increases with longer thymidine exposures (500 μg/ml) up to 16 h but is not further increased at 24 h. For a 25 h thymidine exposure, enhancement is greater for cisplatin (3 μg/ml × 1 h) starting 12–24 h into the thymidine exposure vs starting at 0–8 h ( p ⩽ 0.0004). Results are precisely the same for simultaneous studies using carboplatin except that (1) thymidine enhances carboplatin cytotoxicity more than cisplatin killing, (2) enhancement of carboplatin killing varies little with the timing of carboplatin administration during a 25 h thymidine exposure. These findings are discussed relative to their clinical applicability.

The interaction of cisplatin plus etoposide with radiation ± hyperthermia

The addition of concurrent etoposide and cisplatin to radiation ± hyperthermia was evaluated in the murine FSaIIC fibrosarcoma tumor system. Tumor growth delay (TGD) demonstrated that when the drugs were tested with radiation (3 Gy daily × 5) plus (43° × 30 min) local hyperthermia, cisplatin/hyperthermia/radiation (TGD ∼ 25 days) was significantly more effective than etoposide/hyperthermia/radiation (TGD ∼ 14 days). The addition of etoposide to cisplatin/hyperthermia/radiation, however, yielded a significantly longer growth delay (∼34 days). Tumor cell survival studies demonstrated that hyperthermia (43°C, 30 minutes) was dose modifying for etoposide cytotoxicity (dose modifying factor ∼ 2.0 as determined by comparisons of the slopes of the curves). The addition of etoposide to cisplatin modified cisplatin killing only slightly at 37°C or 43°C. Considerable additional cell kill was observed over a range of radiation doses with cisplatin, hyperthermia, and etoposide added singly or in combination, especially at the lowest radiation dose tested (5 Gy), but essentially no dose modification was observed. Evaluation of Hoechst 33342 dye-selected tumor subpopulations demonstrated that cisplatin, etoposide, radiation (10 Gy), etoposide plus radiation, and cisplatin plus radiation killed significantly fewer dim (presumably hypoxic) cells than bright (presumably normally oxygenated) cells. Hyperthermia killed more dim than bright cells. The combination of hyperthermia with cisplatin and radiation, however, resulted in ∼5-fold lesser kill in dim cells, and the addition of etoposide increased this differential to 6.4-fold. These results indicate that etoposide adds small but measurable antitumor effects when used with cisplatin alone or with cisplatin in combination with radiation hyperthermia (especially at lower radiation fraction sizes).

Mutagenic effects photoinduced in normal human lymphoblasts by a monofunctional pyridopsoralen in comparison to 8-methoxypsoralen

The photobiological effects induced by the monofuctional 7-methylpyrido[3,4- c]psoralen (MePyPs) in comparison to the bifunctional furocoumarin 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) have been studied in a human lymphoblast cell line TK6. We report that, in human lymphoblasts, the cytotoxic effect of MePyPs plus UVA (365 nm) is much higher than that of 8-MOP plus 365-nm irradiation. The dose-modifying factor at the 37% survival level between the 2 compounds equals 120. Mutation induction by photoactivated MePyPs and 8-MOP has been studied in 2 genetic loci, hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) and Na +/K + ATPase. For equal UVA doses, the mutagenic effectiveness of MePyPs was higher than that of 8-MOP. However at equal survival levels, the mononfuctional psoralen MePyPs was less efficient than the bifunctional 8-MOP. In other words, compared to 8-MOP, the monofunctional agent MePyPs is more cytotoxic than mutagenic. This higher phototoxic and mutagenic efficiency of MePyPs in comparison to 8-MOP is likely to be related to the chemical nature of MePyPs-induced lesions which may be responsible for a reduced recognition and/or accessibility of the repair enzymes to damaged DNA

Influence of scheduling, dose, and volume of administration of a perfluorochemical emulsion on tumor response to radiation therapy

Studies were carried out with a new, concentrated perfluorochemical emulsion (PFCE) of the perfluorochemical F44E (48% V/V). When given at 4, 1.6, or 1 g/kg in undiluted injection volumes iv 1 hr prior to a range of single doses of radiation with inspired carbogen dose modifying factors (DMF's) based on tumor growth delay (TGD) in the Lewis lung tumor of 2.5, 1.7, and 1.5, respectively, were produced. When the PFC dose was administered in a volume of 0.2 ml, the dose modifying factors produced by 4 g/kg (0.1 ml undiluted) did not change significantly (2.6), but the dose modifying factors produced by 1.6 g/kg (0.04 ml undiluted) and by 1.0 g/kg (0.025 ml undiluted) increased significantly to 2.0 and 1.8 ( p < 0.05), respectively. Using the tumor excision assay at 24 hr post treatment in the FSaIIC fibrosarcoma, administration of 6, 4, or 2 g/kg in 0.2 ml injections plus carbogen breathing l hr prior to and during treatment resulted in dose modifying factors of 1.5, 1.6, and 1.3, respectively. In a fractionated radiation protocol in the Lewis lung tumor using four daily fractions, a dose of 4 g/kg of PFC on days 1 and 3 proved superior to a dose of 2 g/kg daily (dose modifying factors 2.4 vs. 1.9, p < 0.05). When a fractionated radiation regimen of 3 Gy daily × 5 and carbogen was used, PFC doses of 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 g/kg administered undiluted produced increasing tumor growth delays with increasing dose of PFCE and increasing frequency of administration. In addition, dilutions to 0.2 ml proved significantly more effective. In a 2-week fractionated radiation protocol using 2, 3, or 4 Gy daily × 5 weekly, PFCE given in 0.2 ml volume plus carbogen breathing daily at 4, 1.6, or 1 g/kg produced dose modifying factors of 2.0, 1.9, and 1.6, respectively. Finally, when used in a day 1, 3, and 5 radiation regimen for 3 weeks at 2, 3, or 4 Gy/fraction, 4 g/kg of PFCE given in a volume of 0.2 ml plus carbogen breathing produced a superior dose modifying factor (1.6) as compared with 1.6 or 1.0 g/kg (dose modifying factors 1.4 and 1.3, respectively). These results indicate that PFCE plus carbogen breathing effectively enhances the antitumor effects of both single dose and fractionated radiation. In addition, a significant effect of volume of administration was demonstrated which suggests that some of the efficacy of this perfluorochemical emulsion plus carbogen may be dependent on changes in circulatory dynamics which result in increases in tumor perfusion.

Radioprotective Effects of Dimethyl Sulfoxide in Golden Hamster Embryo Cells Exposed to γ Rays at 77 K: II. Protection from Lethal, Chromosomal, and DNA Damage

Golden hamster embryo cells were exposed to 137Cs gamma rays in the presence or absence of dimethyl sulfoxide at both 310 and 77 K. Dimethyl sulfoxide gave significant protection against cell killing at both 310 and 77 K. The extent of radioprotection with 1.28 M dimethyl sulfoxide at 77 K was 85-89% of the lethal effects observed in the absence of dimethyl sulfoxide at 310 K; the dose-modifying factor was 5.7. Dimethyl sulfoxide also exerted protected against gamma-ray-induced DNA single-strand breaks and chromosomal aberrations with a maximum protection of 80-100% at a dimethyl sulfoxide concentration of 1.28 M at 77 K. At 77 K, H atoms, ion holes, and electrons can migrate through frozen cells but OH radicals cannot diffuse. Thus the protective effects of dimethyl sulfoxide against cell killing, chromosomal aberrations, and DNA single-strand breaks at 77 K may be due to the scavenging of H atoms or other ions, rather than OH radicals.