Perturbation of metabolism and disposition of cyclophosphamide by interferon and poly I:C, an interferon inducer, in mice

The modulating activity of interferon on benzo(a)pyrene bioactivation and clastogenesis in mice

Acute intraperitoneal administration of benzo(a)pyrene (80 mg/kg b.wt.) resulted in time-dependent increases in chromosome aberrations, especially of break-type in the bone marrow of treated mice. Pretreatment with murine interferon-alpha/beta (5 x 10(4) IU daily for two days) caused a significative decrease in the cytogenetic response in vivo of benzo(a)pyrene (up to 51%) and a stabilization of aberrant cells up to 48 hr. The administration of murine interferon-alpha/beta gave rise to a marked depression of microsomal monooxygenase system after 24 hr, as exemplified by the significant reduction of cytochrome P450 content as well as deethylation of ethoxyresorufin. Interferon treatment delayed the obtainment of basal levels of oxidative metabolism to approximately 30 hr. After interferon plus benzo(a)pyrene treatment, ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity showed a reduction up to 60%; levels comparable to benzo(a)pyrene treated group were restored by 48 hr. Immunoblotting analysis confirmed reduced CYP1A1 level. Results suggest that the inhibition of benzo(a)pyrene hepatic metabolism by interferon was reflected by changes in its clastogenic activity. Persistence of low level of chromosome aberration at 48 hr may be reconducible to other interferon sensitive processes than effects on hepatic mixed-function oxidase system, such as DNA repair activity and cell proliferation.

31P NMR spectroscopic studies of the effects of cyclophosphamide on perfused RIF-1 tumor cells

To determine whether direct cellular effects of chemotherapy are responsible for 31P NMR spectral changes observed in treated tumors in vivo, RIF-1 fibrosarcoma cells were examined in vitro before, during, and after treatment with 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (4-HC), an activated form of cyclophosphamide. When RIF-1 cells were treated with 4-HC in a metabolically stable but nonproliferating state, the 31P NMR spectra were identical with those of untreated cells for up to 70 h. When actively proliferating RIF-1 cells were treated with 4-HC, the intensities of the nucleotide triphosphate resonances, which increased linearly during control cell growth, remained constant for 50 h or longer. These studies demonstrate that the bioenergetic improvement observed following treatment of RIF-1 tumors in vivo [S.-J. Li, J.P. Wehrle, S.S. Rajan, R.G. Steen, J.D. Glickson, and J. Hilton, Cancer Res. 48, 4736 (1988)] does not result from direct effects of cyclophosphamide metabolites on RIF-1 cell metabolism, but rather from indirect effects of treatment on tumor or host physiology.

Biologic agents as biochemical modulators: pharmacologic basis for the interaction of cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drugs and interferon

Biochemical modulation of cytotoxic cancer chemotherapeutic agents is one means of enhancing the activity and selectivity of antitumor drugs. Traditionally this approach has utilized detailed information regarding a particular enzymatic reaction or biochemical pathway to develop potential modulating agents. In contrast, the reported clinical therapeutic activity of IFN in combination with cytotoxic agents has prompted a reexamination of the biochemical actions of the cytokine. Interferon elicits a number of cellular actions that might contribute to its pharmacologic activity, including both direct antitumor effects and host-mediated actions. The best understood are those related to the cytotoxicity of the fluoropyrimidine antimetabolites and include enzymatic reactions involved in fluoropyrimidine metabolic activation, catabolism, and interaction with its target enzyme. However, even in this instance, a mechanistic association of a specific pharmacologic action with therapeutic activity remains to be determined. These studies demonstrate that cytokines and other biologic agents may exert specific biochemical modulations that augment (or potentially attenuate) the activity of the cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents.

L-dopa potentiates presynaptic inhibitory alpha 2-adrenoceptor- but not facilitatory angiotensin II receptor-mediated modulation of noradrenaline release from rat hypothalamic slices

L-dopa is a potentiator for presynaptic beta-adrenoceptors. We studied whether L-dopa potentiates the activities of other presynaptic receptors to modulate the evoked noradrenaline (NA) release in rat hypothalamic slices. UK14304 (0.1-1 microM), a selective alpha 2-agonist, concentration-dependently inhibited NA release. Noneffective 10 pM L-dopa potentiated the UK14304-induced inhibition. This potentiation was selectively antagonized by 1 nM L-dopa methyl ester, a competitive L-dopa antagonist, while yohimbine antagonized both the inhibition by UK14304 alone and its potentiation by L-dopa. However, 10 pM L-dopa produced no effect on angiotensin II (0.1-1 nM)-induced facilitation. L-dopa potentiates activities of presynaptic beta- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors but not those of angiotensin II receptors on rat hypothalamic NA neurons.