Effect of L-alpha-amino-gamma-guanidinobutyric acid on melphalan therapy of the L1210 murine leukemia.

ABSTRACT

About half the mice administered a lethal inoculum of L1210 leukemia become 60-day survivors when treated with an appropriate dose of melphalan. Leucine completely abolishes this long-term survival by interfering with melphalan uptake into the tumor cells. L-alpha-Amino-gamma-guanidinobutyric acid, the lower homolog of arginine, promotes melphalan uptake in vitro only in the presence of leucine. When administered to mice with melphalan and a dose of leucine which negates the 50% cure rate of melphalan, it reduces the therapeutic interference of leucine. However, L-alpha-Amino-gamma-guanidinobutyric acid alone does not improve melphalan therapy, suggesting that endogenous leucine can play only a minor role in interference with therapy of the L1210 leukemia.