Modification of radiation responses of murine tumors by misonidazole (Ro 07-0582), host immune capability, and Corynebacterium parvum.

The hypoxic cell sensitizer misonidazole (Ro 07-0582),1-(2-nitro-1-imidazolyl)-3-methoxy-2-propanol, significantly enhanced the local control of the weakly immunogenic C3H mouse mammary carcinoma MDAH-MCa-4 (8-mm diameter) by single doses of radiation. The dose modification factor (DMF) was 2.33 when the drug was given ip to inbred C3Hf/Bu mice in a dose of 1 mg/g body weight 30 minutes before irradiation of the tumor. The DMF in a highly immunogenic 3-methylcholanthrene-induced C3H fibrosarcoma (FSa) was 1.65 in normal mice and 1.86 in mice immunosuppressed by 600 rads whole-body irradiation 1 day before tumor transplantation. In mice treated iv with 0.25 mg Corynebacterium parvum when tumors were 6 mm in diameter and irradiated at 8 mm, local control of FSa was enhanced at low doses of radiation but was similar to that in normal mice at higher doses. In mice treated with both misonidazole and C. parvum, local control at lower doses of radiation was similar to that in mice treated with C. parvum alone but was enhanced at higher doses in mice that failed to respond to C. parvum. Cytotoxicity of misonidazole, as reflected in tumor growth, was not detected.

In vitro destruction of tumor cells by macrophages from mice treated with Corynebacterium granulosum.

Peritoneal macrophages from C3Hf/Bu mice treated with killed Corynebacterium granulosum bacteria were tested for their effect on in vitro growth of syngeneic fibrosarcoma cells, tumorigenic mouse L-P59 cells, human malignant melanoma cells, allogeneic fibroblasts, erythrocytes, and epithelial kidney cells. Only the cell cultures having neoplastic properties were destroyed by stimulated macrophages; the rate of tumor cell destruction was greater as the ratio of effector to target cells was increased. Neither irradiation nor trypsinization of macrophage monolayers altered the cytotoxicity of stimulated macrophages. The results indicated that C. granulosum activated macrophages to destroy tumor cells in an immunologically nonspecific manner but had no cytotoxic effect on normal allogeneic cells.

Studies on the antitumor activities of pyrimidinone-interferon inducers. I. Effect against artificial and spontaneous lung metastases of murine tumors.

Since pyrimidinone compounds induce interferon production in several animal species and have potent antivirus activities, it appeared important to determine whether these compounds could also induce antitumor activities in their recipients. Pyrimidinone compounds 2-amino-5-bromo-6-methyl-4-pyrimidinone (ABMP), 2-amino-5-brome-6-phenyl-4-pyrimidinone (ABPP), and 2-amino-5-iodo-6-phenyl-4-pyrimidinone (AIPP) were studied for their activities against artificial lung metastases of the weakly immunogenic spontaneous fibrosarcoma NFSa, the moderately immunogenic spontaneous mammary carcinoma MCa-K, and the strongly immunogenic 3-methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcoma FSa syngeneic to inbred C3Hf/Kam mice. In addition, the therapeutic efficacy of ABPP and AIPP was also determined against spontaneous lung metastases of NFSa. ABPP and AIPP given ip at 250 mg/kg for 2 or 3 consecutive days before or after iv inoculatin of NFSa, FSa, or MCa-K cells greatly reduced the number of tumor nodules developed in the lungs. ABMP, however, was considerably less effective. ABPP and AIPP were also effective in therapy of spontaneous lung metastases of NFSa, especially when these compounds were given before surgical removal of the primary tumor. Neither ABPP nor AIPP was effective against tumor nodules growing in whole-body irradiated (WBI) mice, but both protected mice against enhancement of lung metastasis formation induced by exposure to whole-body irradiation. ABPP was more effective than AIPP in inducing production of interferon in normal mice. When treated with ABPP, WBI mice, however, were unable to produce interferon. These results show that 6-phenyl-pyrimidinone compounds induce strong antitumor activities in mice, which correlated with neither tumor immunogenicity nor the ability of these agents to induce interferon, but which depended on the immune status of the tumor host.

Nonspecific Immunotherapy of Murine Solid Tumors With Corynebacterium granulosum.

A single intraperitoneal (ip) or intravenous (iv) injection of Corynebacterium granulosum into C3Hf/Bu mice shortly after subcutaneous (sc) injection of cells from a strongly antigenic syngeneic fibrosarcoma induced by 3-methylcholanthrene caused complete and lasting regressions of 100 and 70% of resulting tumors, respectively. Treatment with this bacterium sc only slightly inhibited the growth of some tumors. C. granulosum given iv to mice 3 days after the sc injection of fibrosarcoma cells caused complete regressions of 39 of 45 tumors; two iv injections with this immunostimulant given 1 month apart were no more effective than a single injection. Intralesional treatment of fibrosarcomas 8 mm in diameter induced complete regressions of tumors in 30% of the animals, whereas sc treatment contralateral to the growing tumor only slightly reduced tumor growth. Intraperitoneal growth of a fibrosarcoma was efficiently controlled (58-80% survival of mice) if C. granulosum was given ip, but not iv, 3 days after inoculation with tumor cells. Again, two injections of C. granulosum (given ip 4 days apart) were only as effective as a single injection. Treatment with C. granulosum iv at 3, 7, 14, or 21 days after sc inoculation of a weakly antigenic, spontaneously arising mammary carcinoma (MC-1) strongly inhibited tumor growth. Three complete but temporary tumor regressions were observed. The subcutaneous growth of another spontaneous mammary carcinoma (MC-2), which contained fairly strong tumor-specific antigen(s), was also significantly inhibited if C. granulosum was given 3,7, or 14 days after, but not 7 days before, tumor cell inoculation. However, pretreatment of mice with the immunostimulant significantly protected the mice against artifically induced pulmonary metastases of this tumor.

Relationship of mitotic arrest and apoptosis to antitumor effect of paclitaxel.

BACKGROUND: Microtubules are cellular organelles with functions that include control of cell division by mitosis, cell morphology, and transport of material within the cell. The anticancer drug paclitaxel (Taxol) promotes accelerated assembly of excessively stable microtubules. Consequently, treated cells tend to become arrested in mitosis. The drug also induces apoptotic cell death in vitro and in vivo. Prior to this study, the relative contributions of mitotic arrest and apoptosis to the in vivo antitumor effect and the relationship between the two factors had not been established; moreover, it is not known whether paclitaxel-induced mitotic arrest inevitably results in cell death. PURPOSE: Our aim was to quantify the mitotic arrest and apoptosis induced by paclitaxel in 16 murine tumors in vivo and to correlate these two factors with the drug's antitumor effect. METHODS: Inbred C3Hf/Kam mice were implanted with one of the following 16 syngeneic tumors: seven adenocarcinomas (MCa-4, MCa-29, MCa-35, MCa-K, OCa-I, ACa-SG, and HCa-I), two squamous cell carcinomas (SCC-IV and SCC-VII), six sarcomas (FSa, FSa-II, Sa-IIa, Sa-NH, NFSa, and Sa-4020), and one lymphoma (Ly-TH). The tumor growth delay induced by paclitaxel (40 mg/kg body weight given intravenously) was measured in 163 control and 163 treated mice, and its significance was assessed by Student's t test. In a separate group of 439 mice, the percentage of cells in mitosis or apoptosis was scored micromorphometrically at various times after paclitaxel administration. The significance of correlations between paclitaxel-induced tumor growth delay and paclitaxel-induced levels of mitosis or apoptosis was determined by simple correlation and Spearman's rank correlation. P values reported represent two-sided tests of statistical significance. RESULTS: Statistically significant tumor growth delays were found in response to paclitaxel treatment of mice for three of four murine mammary carcinomas (all P < or = .010), an ovarian carcinoma (P = .00003), a salivary gland adenocarcinoma (P = .0002), a lymphoma (P = .0002), and two of six sarcomas (both P < or = .034), but not for either of two squamous cell carcinomas or for the hepatocellular carcinoma. Paclitaxel-induced mitotic arrest was apparent in all tumor types, but to various degrees, and was not significantly correlated with growth delay (R2 = .16; P = .124). In contrast, apoptotic cell death in response to paclitaxel was not ubiquitous, but it was strongly correlated with growth delay (R2 = .59; P = .001). The pretreatment level of apoptosis was correlated with both paclitaxel-induced apoptosis (R2 = .71; P = .00004) and tumor growth delay (R2 = .55; P = .001). CONCLUSION: The antitumor effect of paclitaxel was correlated with paclitaxel-induced apoptosis and base-line apoptosis, but not with mitotic arrest. IMPLICATIONS: Apoptosis is an important mechanism of cell death in response to paclitaxel treatment of in vivo murine tumors. An underlying tumor type-specific propensity for apoptosis is implied by the correlation between pretreatment and paclitaxel-induced apoptosis. Both the extent of pretreatment apoptosis and the paclitaxel-induced percentage of apoptosis may be useful predictors of response to the drug.

Protection by S-2-(3-aminopropylamino)ethylphosphorothioic acid against radiation-induced leg contractures in mice.

S-2-(3-Aminopropylamino)ethylphosphorothioic acid (WR-2721) was shown to provide marked protection against development of radiation-induced leg contractures in C3Hf/Kam mice whose legs were exposed to single doses of gamma-radiation. The radiation doses ranged from 3300 to 6200 rads delivered to the right hind thighs from two parallelly opposed 137Cs sources. WR-2721 was given i.p. 30 min before irradiation. The severity of radiation-induced leg contractures in untreated and WR-2721-treated mice was followed for 342 days after irradiation. The degree of leg contractures in both control and WR-2721-treated mice increased up to 100 days after radiation, when the change stabilized, remaining more or less at the same level to the end of the observation period. During this entire period, the severity of contractures was less in WR-2721-treated mice. The dose-modifying factor for the level of 5 mm reduction in leg extension was 1.5 at 182 days after irradiation. Since WR-2721 did not prevent the radiocurability of 8-mm fibrosarcomas growing in the same legs, these data imply that WR-2721 has a high potential for increasing therapeutic gain when combined with irradiation in the treatment of tumors of an appreciable size.

The distribution and persistence in vivo of Corynebacterium parvum in relation to its antitumor activity.

Killed Corynebacterium parvum was labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate or 125I, and both preparations were shown to retain lymphoreticular stimulatory and antitumor activity. Large amounts of C. parvum injected i.v. were found in the liver, spleen, and lungs with less in bone marrow and lymph nodes. Apart from a rapid loss from the lungs within 24 hr, the persistence of killed C. parvum was striking, and some intact bacteria were still detectable in the liver and spleen at 15 days. (By contrast, the breakdown of an inactive C. parvum strain in the liver was considerably faster). The blood clearance of 125I-labeled C. parvum injected i.v. into tumor-bearing mice was more rapid than in normal mice, and the absolute, but not the unit, amounts of C. parvum taken up by the spleen and tumor-draining node were increased. 125I-labeled C. parvum was found within the body of established solid tumor, but there was no correlation between the amounts of C. parvum taken up by various mouse solid tumors after i.v. injection and their susceptibility to i.v. C. parvum therapy. The distribution and persistence of C. parvum injected into a tumor lesion was similar to that after s.c. injection. The bulk of the inoculum was retained at the injection site and draining lymph node. Contralateral nodes were unlabeled, and uptake in the liver and spleen was considerably less than after i.v. injection. Although no C. parvum was found in peritoneal cells after i.v. injection, the macrophages in this population became activated and were capable of nonspecifically inhibiting tumor cell growth in vitro.

Effect of tumor size on S-2-(3-aminopropylamino)ethylphosphorothioic acid and misonidazole alteration of tumor response to cyclophosphamide.

The influence of tumor size on the ability of S-2-(3-aminopropylamino)ethylphosphorothioic acid (WR-2721) or misonidazole (MISO) to alter cyclophosphamide (CY) antitumor activity was investigated, using a chemically induced fibrosarcoma (FSA) and a spontaneous fibrosarcoma (NFSA) in C3Hf/Kam mice. Tumors were of two sizes at the time of treatment, 8-mm leg tumors and 4-day-old micrometastases in the lung. The antitumor activity of CY and its modification were assessed by growth delay of leg tumors and the reduction in the number of lung metastases. Both measures of tumor response were more pronounced as the dose of CY increased, and FSA was more sensitive to CY than was NFSA. WR-2721 (400 mg/kg), given 30 min before treatment with CY, reduced the effectiveness of CY on both FSA and NFSA. This reduction in effectiveness of CY was only minimal for leg tumors (dose-modifying factors were 1.1 for FSA and 1.03 for NFSA) but remarkable for lung micrometastases (dose-modifying factors were 1.81 for FSA and 1.55 for NFSA). Protection increased with the increase in the dose of WR-2721 and was also dependent on the time of injection relative to CY. The greatest protection occurred when WR-2721 was given within 30 min before to 15 min after CY. Tumor size had the opposite effect on MISO from that on WR-2721. MISO (1 mg/g) enhanced the effect of CY more effectively for leg tumors than for lung micrometastases: dose-modifying factors were 1.74 for FSA and 2.21 for NFSA growing in the leg and 1.27 for FSA and 1.11 for NFSA lung micrometastases. Therefore, tumor size appears to be a very important factor in determining the extent of WR-2721- and MISO-induced modification of CY antitumor effect.

Improvement in therapeutic ratio of radiotherapy for a murine sarcoma by indomethacin plus misonidazole.

In this study we asked whether the improvement in the therapeutic ratio of radiotherapy by indomethacin (INDO), which potentiates tumor radioresponse through stimulation of the immune system, could be further improved by combining it with the hypoxic cell radiosensitizer misonidazole (MISO). Mice bearing the syngeneic sarcoma fibrosarcoma (8 mm) in the leg were treated with single graded doses of gamma-rays to the tumor or with irradiation combined with INDO, MISO, or both drugs. Local tumor control was the end point of tumor radioresponse. In addition, the effect of these drugs on radiation-caused hair loss and leg contractures was assessed. INDO increased tumor radioresponse by a factor of 1.31, but it did not affect either hair loss or leg contractures. MISO increased tumor radioresponse by a factor of 1.86, hair loss by a factor of 1.69, and leg contractures by a factor of 1.54, thus providing only a small therapeutic gain. The combined INDO plus MISO treatment increased tumor radioresponse by a factor of 2.72, which was more than the additive effect of the individual drugs. On the other hand, the combined treatment caused no additional hair loss compared to that caused by MISO only. Overall, our results show that INDO plus MISO treatment increased tumor radioresponse more than INDO or MISO alone and provided a significant therapeutic gain. Furthermore, they illustrate that combinations of two radiopotentiating agents with different mechanisms of action may improve the radiotherapeutic effect.

Effect of radiation-induced injury of tumor bed stroma on metastatic spread of murine sarcomas and carcinomas.

The study was performed to determine whether irradiation of the tumor bed alters the propensity of tumors to metastasize, and if so, whether the effect is dependent on the property of tumors to exhibit the tumor bed effect (TBE). Ten tumors, of which 5 were sarcomas and 5 were carcinomas syngeneic to C3Hf/Kam mice, were used. Tumors were grown s.c. in the right thighs of mice that had or had not been irradiated with 20-Gy gamma-rays 1 day before tumor cell transplantation. All 5 carcinomas and 2 of 5 sarcomas exhibited TBE, as assessed by a significant retardation of growth rate. To test whether irradiation of the tumor bed influenced metastatic spread independently of TBE, tumors of various sizes were surgically removed, and at appropriate times thereafter the lungs were examined for the presence of metastases. All tumors that exhibited TBE, and only 1 of 3 tumors that did not exhibit TBE, metastasized more than tumors of the same size growing in an unirradiated tumor bed. TBE-induced enhancement of metastasis was not seen in tumors less than approximately 7 mm in diameter. All tumors, whether they exhibited TBE or not, were more necrotic if they grew in a preirradiated tumor bed. These observations show that size for size, most tumors growing in irradiated tissues have an increased propensity to metastasize, which is linked to their manifestation of TBE. The evidence presented suggests that TBE-induced retardation of tumor growth is the major factor responsible for the observed enhancement of metastasis. The clinical implication of these findings is that tumors recurrent after radiotherapy should be diagnosed and treated promptly to reduce the risk of metastatic spread.

Treatment of experimental lung metastasis with local thoracic irradiation followed by systemic macrophage activation with liposomes containing muramyl tripeptide.

The purpose of these studies was to determine whether the combination of a low-dose local thoracic irradiation (LTI) followed by systemic activation of macrophages with liposomes containing muramyl tripeptide phosphatidylethanolamine (MTP-PE) would significantly decrease established experimental fibrosarcoma lung metastases. Male C3Hf/Kam mice were given i.v. injections of 1 X 10(5) fibrosarcoma cells. Five days later, groups of mice were treated with saline, with 8 Gy LTI, or with liposomes containing MTP-PE or first with 8 Gy LTI and followed by multiple i.v. injections of liposomes containing MTP-PE. Most of the mice in the groups treated with liposomes died by day 42 of the experiment. In contrast, 60% of the mice treated with the combination of LTI and liposomes containing MTP-PE were alive by day 140 of the study. These mice were killed and were found to be free of tumors. Control studies demonstrated that liposomes administered i.v. to mice given LTI were trapped in the capillary bed of the lungs and activated the tumoricidal properties of lung macrophages. We conclude that, in this combination, low-dose LTI, which can lead to both tumor cell death and inflammatory changes in the lung capillaries, could precede i.v. administration of liposomes containing MTP-PE. This combination of treatments can lead to destruction of tumor foci in the lung that cannot be achieved with either treatment alone.

Protection by S-2-(3-aminopropylamino)ethylphosphorothioic acid against radiation- and cyclophosphamide-induced attenuation in antitumor resistance.

Studies were performed to investigate whether S-2-(3-amino-propylamino)ethylphosphorothioic acid (WR-2721) can protect antitumor immune rejection responses against the damaging effects of whole-body irradiation ( WBI ) and cyclophosphamide (CY). Among these damaging effects were radiation-induced enhancement of s.c. tumor take and radiation- and CY-induced enhancement of lung colonization by tumor cells injected i.v. The ability of WR-2721 to protect against WBI -induced decreased radioresponse of solitary tumors was also investigated. All experiments were performed with an immunogenic fibrosarcoma syngeneic to C3Hf/ Kam mice. WR-2721 was given i.p. at a dose of 400 mg/kg 30 min before WBI with gamma-rays or CY injection. WBI with 650 rads reduced the number of tumor cells needed for tumor take in 50% of animals from 5.1 X 10(4) cells in normal mice to 2.0 X 10(2). WR-2721 given before WBI almost entirely abolished the effect of WBI : the number of tumor cells needed for tumor take in 50% of animals was 1.4 X 10(4). Treatment of mice with WBI or CY increased the number of tumor nodules in the lung generated by fibrosarcoma cells injected i.v. 5 days later, in a linear dose response. WR-2721 greatly reduced this metastasis enhancement effect of WBI and CY with protection factors of 2.5 for WBI and 1.8 for CY. Fibrosarcomas of 8 mm in diameter exhibited a decreased radiocurability when growing in WBI mice: the dose of irradiation yielding local tumor control in 50% of animals in these mice was 5950 compared to a dose of irradiation yielding local tumor control in 50% of animals of 4160 rads in normal mice. WR-2721 given before WBI inhibited this effect of WBI : the dose of irradiation yielding local tumor control in 50% of animals was 5210 rads. The proportion of macrophages in tumors growing in WBI mice was significantly reduced, but not when WR-2721 was first given. WR-2721 greatly reduced the damaging effects of WBI and CY on natural killer cell activity. Therefore, WR-2721 was capable of protecting the immune mechanisms involved in antitumor resistance against WBI and CY. This might be of therapeutic benefit when WR-2721 is combined with radio- or chemotherapy.

Therapy of artificial and spontaneous metastases of murine tumors with maleic anhydride-divinyl ether-2.

A 15,500 molecular-weight fraction of a pyran copolymer, (MVE-2) was investigated for its therapeutic efficacy against artificial lung metastases of a weakly immunogenic spontaneous fibrosarcoma (NFSa), a relatively strongly immunogenic fibrosarcoma (FSa), a moderately immunogenic spontaneous mammary carcinoma (MCa-K-, and a weakly immunogenic spontaneous mammary carcinoma (MDAH-MCa-4) syngeneic to C3Hf/Kam mice. In addition, the therapeutic efficacy of this polyanionic compound against spontaneous lung metastases of NFSa was also determined. Systemic i.v. or i.p. application of MVE-2 in doses ranging from 10 to 50 mg/kg body weight greatly reduced the number of artificial NFSa lung metastases and prolonged the survival of the mice. Multiple injections of MVE-2 given at weekly intervals were more effective than were single treatments. Although various treatment schedules with MVE-2 were capable of reducing the number of metastases and prolonging survival of tumor-bearing mice, no cures were observed. A therapeutic effect was also evident against spontaneous lung metastases of NFSa. The effect, however, was more profound when MVE-2 was given before rather than after surgical removal of the primary tumor. MVE-2 was not effective in mice exposed previously to whole-body or local thoracic irradiation. In contrast, MVE-2 protected mice against enhancement of lung metastases induced by exposure of the mice to these irradiations. NFSa growing i.m. promoted the formation of lung metastases from tumor cells given i.v. This concomitant enhancement of metastases was abolished by treatment of the mice with MVE-2. MVE-2 was also effective against tumor deposits in the other three tumors. The extent of its therapeutic efficacy was independent of tumor immunogenicity. These results suggest several approaches to the clinical application of MVE-2 and provide additional data on the therapeutic activity of the pyran copolymer derivatives in different animal models.

Combination of N-methylformamide with cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II) in murine mammary carcinoma: importance of timing.

The maturational agent N-methylformamide (NMF) is an antitumor agent that also enhances the response of tumor cells in vitro to chemotherapeutic agents. Here, we tested whether NMF can improve therapy of the murine MCA-K mammary carcinoma with cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (cis-DDP). Although the in vitro cell cultures of MCA-K tumor cells exhibited increased sensitivity to cis-DDP cytotoxicity when they were first treated with NMF, administration of NMF to mice bearing MCA-K tumors did not enhance cis-DDP-induced tumor growth delay. However, when NMF treatment was begun after cis-DDP administration, the growth delays were significantly greater than those induced by the individual treatment, with an increase in temporary tumor regression and a small proportion of cures. These results indicate that therapeutic benefit can be achieved in this experimental tumor system when NMF is administered after cis-DDP. In addition, they demonstrate the significance of the timing of administration in combined protocols involving NMF.

Prediction of in vivo tumor response to chemotherapeutic agents by the in vitro sister chromatid exchange assay.

The ability of the in vitro sister chromatid exchange (SCE) assay to predict in vivo tumor drug sensitivity was investigated using a spontaneous hepatocarcinoma in C3Hf/Kam mice and 3 chemotherapeutic agents: melphalan; cis-platinum; and 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU). For hepatocarcinoma cells grown in monolayer culture, melphalan was the most efficient at inducing SCEs, and BCNU, the least. cis-Platinum induced a range in SCEs that overlapped those of BCNU and melphalan, suggesting that hepatocarcinoma is not a homogeneous population with intermediate sensitivity, but is a mixture of cis-platinum-sensitive and -resistant cells. According to in vitro cell survival curves, hepatocarcinoma was most sensitive to melphalan, less sensitive to cis-platinum, and essentially resistant to BCNU. The relative antineoplastic effects of melphalan, cis-platinum, and BCNU in vivo were compared by the response of artificial and spontaneous pulmonary metastases and solid tumors to these agents. For artificial metastases, there was a dose-dependent decrease in the number of lung nodules in mice treated with melphalan or cis-platinum, with melphalan being the more effective. BCNU had no effect. Spontaneous pulmonary metastases generated from hepatocarcinoma leg tumors were reduced in those mice treated with melphalan, unaffected by cis-platinum, and increased by BCNU. In hepatocarcinoma leg tumors (5 to 6 mm in diameter), melphalan induced the longest growth delay, and BCNU the least. Therefore, the relative effects produced by these three drugs in vivo were the same as predicted by SCE induction in vitro. The SCE assay may thus have potential clinical application.

Macrophage content of murine sarcomas and carcinomas: associations with tumor growth parameters and tumor radiocurability.

Experiments were designed to investigate whether the tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) content of murine solid tumors correlates with the clonogenic ability of tumor cells to establish s.c. tumors, tumor growth rate, extent of tumor necrosis, tumor metastatic propensity, and tumor radioresponse. Of 13 tumors studied, 6 were sarcomas and 7 were carcinomas; all tumors were of spontaneous origin in C3Hf/Kam mice, with the exception of one sarcoma that was induced by 3-methylcholanthrene. Tumors were growing in the hind thighs of syngeneic mice, and their TAM content was determined when they were 8 mm in diameter. The TAM content varied greatly among tumors, ranging from 9 to 83%. Tumor bearing mice experienced a reduction of 50% or more in the number of peritoneal macrophages, but the degree of reduction was independent of TAM content. A significant negative correlation was noted between TAM content and TD50 values (i.e., the number of tumor cells needed to produce tumors in 50% of injected sites) and between TAM content and the amount of tumor necrosis. Also, an obvious trend toward positive correlation between TAM content and reduced local tumor radiocurability was apparent. No correlation was found between TAM content and tumor growth rate or metastatic spread. TAM from the NFSA sarcoma (a tumor with a low TD50 value, almost without necrosis, and poorly responsive to radiation) stimulated the in vitro growth of NFSA tumor cells. These observations suggest that high TAM content could be conductive to tumor cell proliferation and could be a factor in poor tumor radioresponse.

Increase in radioresponse of murine tumors by treatment with indomethacin.

Indomethacin, an inhibitor of prostaglandin (PG) synthesis, was investigated for its ability to increase radioresponse of two fibrosarcomas, FSA and NFSA, in C3Hf/Kam mice. In addition, the effect of indomethacin on radioresponse of hematopoietic tissue, jejunum, hair follicles, and tissues involved in the development of radiation-induced leg contractures was determined. Indomethacin greatly increased radioresponse of 8-mm tumors, as assessed by both tumor growth delay and TCD50 assays. Enhancement factors for tumor growth delay and tumor radiocurability (TCD50) were 1.55 and 1.39, respectively, for FSA, and 1.4 and 1.26, respectively, for NFSA tumors. Of four normal tissues assessed, two (hair follicles and tissues responsible for development of leg contractures) showed no change in radioresponse after treatment with indomethacin, one (hematopoietic tissue) exhibited radioprotection, and one (jejunum) exhibited slight radiosensitization (enhancement factor, 1.12). Therefore, indomethacin significantly augmented tumor radiocurability but had minimal effect on radioresponse of some normal tissues.

Retardation of tumor growth in mice caused by radiation-induced injury of tumor bed stroma: dependency on tumor type.

Dependency on tumor type of tumor growth retardation caused by the radiation-induced damage of tumor bed stroma, a phenomenon known as the tumor bed effect (TBE), was investigated using two mammary carcinomas designated MCA-4 and MCA-K and two fibrosarcomas designated FSA and NFSA, all syngeneic to C3Hf/Kam mice. Inoculations of tumor cells were given s.c. into the right hind thighs of mice either treated or not treated 1 day earlier with graded doses of gamma-rays; tumor latency and growth rate were determined. Tumor latency was prolonged and tumor growth was retarded, but the magnitude of these two features of TBE greatly depended on radiation dose and tumor type. TBE began to appear at doses of 5-10 Gy and then sharply increased as the dose of radiation was increased up to between 20 and 30 Gy, at which point a plateau was achieved. TBE was also significant after 40 and 60 Gy total dose given in daily fractions of 2 Gy 5 times per week, a schedule commonly used in radiotherapy treatment of cancer patients. Carcinomas exhibited more pronounced TBE than fibrosarcomas, with NFSA showing only minimal TBE. Radiation-inactivated MCA-4 and FSA cells admixed with viable MCA-4 cells reduced tumor latency, but not the tumor growth delay, of resulting MCA-4 tumors in preirradiated legs. In contrast, admixture of irradiated NFSA and viable MCA-4 cells abolished growth delay but did not influence tumor latency of the TBE phenomenon. Thus the type of a tumor growing in the irradiated tissue is a very important factor that determines the expression of TBE.

Prostaglandin production by murine tumors as a predictor for therapeutic response to indomethacin.

We investigated whether there is a relationship between the production of eicosanoids by murine solid tumors and their response to the prostaglandin H (PGH) synthase inhibitor indomethacin. Three sarcomas, designated FSA, NFSA, and SA-NH, and two carcinomas, designated MCA-K and HCA-I, syngeneic to C3Hf/Kam mice were used. In general, FSA and NFSA produced more PGH synthase products than lipoxygenase products, whereas HCA-I produced both types of metabolites in large quantities. All three tumors responded well to indomethacin treatment by slowing their growth. In contrast, MCA-K and SA-NH tumors produced insignificant quantities of PGH synthase products, but substantial amounts of lipoxygenase products. Their growth was not affected by treatment with indomethacin. Indomethacin did not influence tumor cell survival either in vitro or in vivo, but it reduced the proportion of S-phase cells in the tumors. The antitumor effect of indomethacin was not reduced by immunosuppression of the tumor host and was independent of tumor immunogenicity, implying that indomethacin acted through nonimmunological mechanisms. Thus, the effectiveness of indomethacin was directly related to the ability of tumors to produce PGs. Consequently, the eicosanoid profile of tumors could serve as a valuable way to select patients likely to respond to indomethacin and other PGH synthase inhibiting agents.

Inhibition of radiation carcinogenesis in mice by S-2-(3-aminopropylamino)-ethylphosphorothioic acid.

We have demonstrated that S-2-(3-aminopropylamino)ethylphosphorothioic acid (WR-2721) given to mice prior to ionizing radiation inhibits development of radiation-induced sarcomas. The right hind legs of C3Hf/Kam mice were exposed to single doses of gamma-rays ranging from 3400 to 5700 rads. Thirty min before irradiation, approximately one-half of the mice were given i.p. injections of WR-2721 (400 mg/kg). Mice were checked for development of radiation-induced tumors within the irradiated tissue of legs from 250 up to 786 days after irradiation. Tumors first appeared in both groups of mice at approximately 300 days after irradiation. Thereafter, the rate of tumor development was slower in mice that received both WR-2721 and leg irradiation. At the end of the observation period, the overall actuarial tumor incidence in these mice was 26%, compared to 87% in mice exposed to radiation only. Since WR-2721 has the ability to protect against radiation carcinogenesis, it may also afford protection against the carcinogenic effect of alkylating agents.