Abstract
Antitumor therapies using polyamine antimetabolites combined with 1-(4-amino-2-methyl-5-pyrimidyl)methyl-3(2-chloroethyl)-3-nitrosourea (ACNU) or fluorinated pyrimidines for human gastric cancer xenotransplanted into nude mice were studied to determine inhibiting post-therapeutic regrowth of the tumor after cessation of antitumor treatments with polyamine antimetabolites alone. ACNU 20 mg/kg, fluorinated pyrimidine, 5-FU 52.8 mg/kg and 5′-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (5′-DFUR) 100 mg/kg as well as polyamine antimetabolites, alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) 1000 mg/kg and methylglyoxal-bis-guanylhydrazone (MGBG) 50 mg/kg were given intraperitoneally for 5 successive days. When DFMO and MGBG were combined with ACNU, the post-therapeutic regrowth was definitely inhibited, while combined treatments with 5-FU or 5′-DFUR did not inhibit the regrowth. Post-therapeutic DNA biosynthesis was suppressed in mice given DFMO, MGBG plus ACNU. On the contrary, in mice treated with DFMO, MGBG plus 5-FU or 5′-DFUR, suppression of DNA biosynthesis was not observed. Tumor tissue spermine levels in the DFMO, MGBG plus 5-FU or 5′-DFUR group remained unchanged, compared to those in the DFMO + MGBG group. In mice given DFMO, MGBG plus ACNU, however, spermine levels were markedly depressed; and the ACNU alone depressed also the tissue spermine levels. These different results between nitrosourea and fluorinated pyrimidines may relate to mechanisms of action of these antitumor drugs.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Prakash NJ, Schechter PJ, Grove J, Koch-Weser J. Effect of α-difluoromethylornithine, an enzyme-activated irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase, on L1210 leukemia in mice. Cancer Res 1978; 38: 3059–3062.
Freireich EJ, Frei E III, Karon M. Methylglyoxal bis-(guanylhydrazone): A new agent active against acute myelocytic leukemia. Cancer Chemother Rep 1962; 16: 183–186.
Kelsen D, Chapman R, Bains M, Heelan R, Dukeman M, Golbey R. Phase II study of methyl-GAG in the treatment of esophageal carcinoma. Cancer Treat Rep 1982; 66: 1427–1429.
Herr HW, Kleinert EL, Conti PS, Burchenal JH, Whitemore WF. Effects of α-difluoromethylornithine and methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) on the growth of experimental renal adenocarcinoma in mice. Cancer Res 1984; 44: 4382–4385.
Prakash NJ, Schechter PJ, Mamont PS, Grove J, Koch-Weser J, Sjoerdsma A. Inhibition of EMT6 tumor growth by interference with polyamine biosynthesis; Effects of α-difluoromethyl ornithine, an irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase. Life Sci 1980; 26: 181–194.
Bartholeyns J, Koch-Weser J. Effects of α-difluoromethylornithine alone and combined with adriamycin or vindesine on L1210 leukemia in mice, EMT6 solid tumors in mice, and solid tumors induced by injection of hepatoma tissue culture. Cancer Res 1981; 41: 5158–5161.
Alhonen-Hongisto L, Hung DT, Deen DF, Marton LJ. Decreased cell kill of vincristine and methotrexate against 9L rat brain tumor cells in vitro caused by α-difluoromethylornithine-induced polyamine depletion. Cancer Res 1984; 44: 4440–4442.
Povlsen CO, Jacobsen GK. Chemotherapy of a human malignant melanoma transplanted in the nude mice. Cancer Res 1975; 35: 2790–2796.
Fujimoto S, Igarashi K, Shrestha RD, Miyazaki M, Okui K. Antitumor effects of two polyamine antimetabolites combined with mitomycin C on human stomach cancer cells xenotransplanted into nude mice. Int J Cancer 1985; 35: 821–825.
Fujimoto S, Akao T, Itoh B, Koshizuka I, Koyano K, Kitsukawa Y, Takahashi M, Minami T, Ishigami H, Miyazaki M, Itoh K. Protracted oral chemotherapy with fluorinated pyrimidines as an adjuvant to surgical treatment for stomach cancer. Ann Surg 1977; 185: 462–466.
The Gastrointestinal Tumor Study Group. Controlled trial of adjuvant chemotherapy following curative resection for gastric cancer. Cancer 1982; 49: 1116–1122.
Ovejera AA, Houchens DP, Barker AD. Chemotherapy of human xenografts in genetically athymic mice. Ann Clin Lab Sci 1978; 8: 50–56.
Brown WO, Badman HG. Liquid-scintillation counting of14C-labelled animals tissues at high efficiency. Biochem J 1961; 78: 571–578.
Winkelman J, Slater G. Chemiluminescence of liquid scintillation mixture components. Analyt Biochem 1967; 20: 365–368.
Yoshida H, Nakajima T. Prompt microassay of amino acids and amines by the use of high performance liquid chromatography. In: Tamura Z (ed), Advances in Clinical Chemistry, pp 323–338, Gakkai Shuppan Center, Tokyo, Japan, 1980.
Nagourney RA, Fox P, Schein PS. A comparison of the biological and biochemical properties of 1-(4-amino-2-methylpyrimidine-5-yl)methyl-3-(2-chloroethyl)-3-nitrosourea and 2-[3-(2-chloroethyl)-3-nitrosoureido]-D-glucopyranose. Cancer Res 1978; 38: 65–68.
Cavanaugh PF Jr, Pavelic ZP, Porter CW. Enhancement of 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea-induced cytotoxicity and DNA damage by α-difluoromethylornithine in L1210 Leukemia cells. Cancer Res 1984; 44: 3856–3861.
Allen JC. Biochemistry of the polyamines. Cell Biochem Funct 1983; 1: 131–140.
Suwalsky M, Traub W, Shumueli U. An X-ray study of the interaction of DNA and spermine. J Mol Biol 1969; 42: 363–373.
Rupniak HT, Paul D. Selective killing of transformed cells by exploitation of their defective cell cycle control by polyamines. Cancer Res 1980; 40: 293–297.
Sunkara PS, Fowler SK, Nishioka K, Rao PN. Inhibition of polyamine biosynthesis by α-difluoromethyl orinithine potentiates the cytotoxic effects of arabinosyl cytosine in HeLa cells. Biochem Biophys Res Comm 1980; 95: 423–430.
Alhonen-Hongisto L, Sëppanen P, Jänne J. Intracellular putrescine and spermidine deprivation induced increased uptake of the natural polyamines and methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone). Biochem J 1980; 192: 941–945.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fujimoto, S., Igarashi, K., Shrestha, R.D. et al. Combined therapy of polyamine antimetabolites and antitumor drugs for human gastric cancer xenotransplanted into nude mice. The Japanese Journal of Surgery 16, 133–139 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02471083
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02471083