Skip to main content
Log in

Enhanced cerebrovascular permeability by Metrazol: significance for brain metastases

  • Published:
Clinical & Experimental Metastasis Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Metrazol enhanced the penetration of two proteins (125I human serum albumin and horseradish peroxidase), and the anticancer agent, razoxane, into the central nervous system of anaesthetized rats. Penetration was increased throughout the whole brain. With the exception of the bladder, no peripheral tissue was affected. The increase in brain permeability was temporary and reversed within 4 hours; brain levels of drug and protein were increased by up to three times.[/p]

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Beleslin, D., Polak, R., and Sproull, D., 1965, The effect of leptazol and strychnine on the acetylcholine release from the cat brain. Journal of Physiology, 177, 308–316.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Bradbury, M., 1979, The Concept of a Blood-Brain Barrier (Chichester: John Wiley & Sons), pp. 351–382.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Crone, C., 1965, Permeability of brain capillaries to non electrolytes. Acta physiologica scandinavica, 64, 407–417.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Esplin, D., and Woodbury, D., 1956, The fate and excretion of C14-labelled pentylenetetrazol in the rat, with comments on analytical methods for pentylenetetrazol. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 118, 129–138.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Fu, X., Collins, M., Greig, N., and Hellmann, K., 1982, Ultrafilter-HPLC assay method for pharmacokinetic and mechanism of action studies of razoxane. In preparation.

  6. Greig, N., Fu, X., and HELLMANN, K., 1982, Razoxane penetration into the cerebrospinal fluid of rats. Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology (in the press).

  7. Gross, G. J., and Woodbury, D. M., 1972, Effects of pentylenetetrazol on ion transport in the isolated toad bladder. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 181, 257–272.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Hanker, J., Yates, P., Metz, C., and Rustioni, A., 1977, A new specific, sensitive and non-carcinogenic reagent for the demonstration of horseradish peroxidase. Journal of Histochemistry, 9, 789–792.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Hasegawa, H., Allen, J., Mehta, B., Shapiro, W., and Posner, J., 1979, Enhancement of CNS penetration of methotrexate by hyperosmolar intracarotid mannitol or carcinomatous meningitis. Neurology, 29, 1280–1286.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Hellmann, K. Newton, K., Whitmore, D., Hanham, I., and Bond, J., 1969, Preliminary clinical assessment of ICRF 159 in acute leukaemia and lymphosarcoma. Nature, 222, 384–387.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Johansson, B., and Nilsson, B., 1977, The pathophysiology of the blood-brain barrier dysfunction induced by severe hypercapnia and by epileptic brain activity. Acta neuropathologica, 38, 153–158.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Johns, D. G., Farquhar, D., Wolpert, M., Chabner, B., and Loo, T., 1973, Dialkyl esters of methotrexate and 3′,5′-dichloromethotrexate synthesis and interaction with aldehyde oxidase and dihydrofolate reductase. Drug Metabolism Disposition, 1, 580–589.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Lee, J., and Olszewski, J., 1961, Increased cerebro vascular permeability after repeated electroshocks. Neurology, 11, 515–519.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Levin, V. A., 1975, A pharmacological basis of brain tumour chemotherapy. Seminars Oncology, 2, 57–61.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Levin, V. A., Freeman-Dove, M., and Landahl, H. D., 1975, Permeability characteristics of brain adjacent to tumours in rats.Archives of Neurology, 32, 785–791.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Lorenzo, A. V., Shirahige, M., Lang, M., and Barlow, C., 1972, Temporary alteration of cerebrovascular permeability to plasma proteins in drug-induced seizures. American Journal of Physiology, 223 (11), 268–277.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Lorenzo, A. V., Hedley-Whyte, T., Eisenberg, H., and Hsu, D., 1975, Increased penetration of horseradish peroxidase across the blood-brain barrier induced by Metrazol seizures. Brain Research, 88, 136–140.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Nair, V., and Roth, L. J., 1964, Effect of X-irradiation and certain other treatments on blood-brain barrier permeability, Radiation Research, 23, 249–264.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Ohno, K., Fredericks, W., and Rapoport, S., 1979, Osmotic opening of the blood-brain barrier to methotrexate in the rat. Surgical Neurology, 12, 323–328.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Rapoport, S., 1976, Blood-Brain Barrier in Physiology and Medicine (New York: Raven Press).

    Google Scholar 

  21. Rapoport, S., 1976, Modification of cerebrovascular permeability by hypertonic solutions and conditions which alter autoregulation of cerebral blood flow. The Cerebral Vessel Wall, edited by Cervos-Navarro (New York: Raven Press), pp. 215–223.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Rapoport, S., 1980, Quantitative aspects of osmotic opening of the blood-brain barrier, Brain Metastasis, edited by L. Weiss (Boston: Hall & Co.), pp. 100–115.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Pope, A., and Anfinsen, C., 1947, Histochemical and action potential studies on eleptogenic areas of cerebral cortex in man and monkey. Research Publication of the Association for Nervous and Mental Disorders, volume 26 (New York: Hafner Publishing Co.), pp. 218–233.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Reese, T. S., and Karnovsky, M. J., 1967, Fine structural localization of a blood-brain barrier to exogenous peroxidase. Journal of Cell Biology, 34, 207–217.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Sokoloff, L., 1977, Relationship between physiological function and energy metabolism in the central nervous system. Journal of Neurochemistry, 29, 13–26.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Tower, D., and Elliot, K., 1952, Activity of acetylcholine system in human eleptogenic focus. Journal of Applied Physiology, 4, 669–676.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Waggener, J. D., and Baggs, J. L., 1976, Vasculature of neural neoplasms, Advances in Neurology, edited by R. A. Thompson and J. R. Green (New York: Raven Press).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Walker, M. D., 1977, Treatment of brain tumours. Medical Clinics of North America, 61, 1045–1051.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Vick, N. A., and Bigner, D. D., 1972, Microvascular abnormalities in virally induced canine brain tumours: Structural bases for altered blood-brain barrier function. Journal of Neurological Science, 17, 29–39.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Greig, N., Hellmann, K. Enhanced cerebrovascular permeability by Metrazol: significance for brain metastases. Clin Exp Metast 1, 83–95 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00118475

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00118475

Keywords

Navigation