title: Enhancement of tumor radiosensitivity and reduced hypoxia-dependent binding of a 2-nitroimidazole with normobaric oxygen and carbogen: a therapeutic comparison with skin and kidneys.
abstract: To evaluate the therapeutic potential of normobaric oxygen and carbogen as hypoxic-cell sensitizers, both radiosensitization in a mouse mammary carcinoma, mouse skin and kidneys, and the reduction in the proportion of hypoxic tumor cells were quantified in mice breathing air, oxygen, or carbogen. Local tumor control, acute skin reactions, reduced renal clearance, and hematocrit were used as assays. X rays as 10 fractions in 5 days were given to skin and tumors and 10F/12 days to kidneys. In the tumor study, the pre-irradiation breathing time was varied from 2 to 20 min. Hypoxic cells, before and during a 10F/5 day schedule, were quantified using a 2-nitroimidazole with a theophylline side chain. Bioreductively reduced metabolites of this probe were localized in hypoxic cells that were then stained using an immunofluorescent technique and analyzed by flow cytometry. The fraction of cells with high fluorescence intensity was 19% in air, 9% in oxygen, and 3% in carbogen-breathing mice. For all three gases, hypoxia-dependent binding was similar in non-irradiated tumors and those treated with four or nine fractions. Both gases significantly enhanced tumor radiosensitivity (ER = 1.3 to 1.6) and carbogen was slightly more effective than oxygen. With carbogen, maximum sensitization was observed with a 5 min pre-irradiation breathing interval. With oxygen, pre-irradiation breathing times of 2-20 min gave similar sensitization. In skin an enhancement ratio of 1.2 was observed, whereas enhancement ratios for both renal endpoints were significantly lower (1.0 to 1.07). Relative to both tissues, there was therefore a substantial therapeutic gain by irradiating CaNT tumors under both gases, especially with carbogen.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Campaign Gray Laboratory, Mount Vernon Hospital, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rojas
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Joiner
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Hodgkiss
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Carl
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kjellen
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000818:Animals; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015687:Cell Hypoxia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects*; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008325:Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D051379:Mice; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D009593:Nitroimidazoles; D010100:Oxygen / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011833:Radiation Injuries, Experimental / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011838:Radiation-Sensitizing Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects*
chemical_list: D009593:Nitroimidazoles; D011838:Radiation-Sensitizing Agents; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; C011700:carbogen; D010100:Oxygen