A study on the toxicity of antineoplastic drugs (bleomycin, peplomycin and cis-diamminedichloroplatinum) by simultaneous administration (Part 1).

In order to clarify the toxicity of the antineoplastic drugs, bleomycin (BLM), peplomycin (PEP) and cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (CDDP), which are commonly used to treat head and neck cancer by simultaneous administration, the semiacute toxicity of each of these drugs in rats was studied as an initial step. Body-weight change, general behavior, red blood cell count (RBC), white blood cell count (WBC), serum biochemistry (s-GOT, s-GPT, BUN, GLU, ALB, TP), A/G ratio, relative organ weight and histopathological features were determined. BLM and PEP given by ip administration once a week produced severe diarrhea, decreased diet consumption, emaciation, piloerection and loss of hair, enhancements of RBC and WBC, several changes in serum biochemistry, proliferation and mitosis of epithelial cells in the forestomach and occasional granular and vacuolar degeneration in the liver. CDDP administered in the same manner produced a significant decrease of WBC, several changes in serum biochemistry parameters especially BUN, an increased focal-segmental mesangial matrix in the glomeruli and vacuolar degeneration of epithelial cells of the convoluted tubule of the kidney.

Amino acid sequence around the reactive serine of cucumisin from melon fruit.

Cucumisin is a diisopropyl fluorophosphate-sensitive enzyme. The inactivation by DFP is accompanied by the formation of 1 mol of labeled serine residue per mol of enzyme. From the soluble portion of the chymotryptic digest of the diisopropyl phosphoryl derivative of cucumisin, two peptides containing phosphorus were isolated; their amino acid sequences were determined to be Gly-Thr-Ser(P)-Met and Asn-Ile-Ile-Ser-Gly-Thr-Ser(P)-Met, respectively. The four residues Gly-Thr-Ser-Met in the above amino acid sequence are identical with those of subtilisin.