title: The difference between 5-fluorouracil and melphalan in their ability to promote antitumor immune response against MOPC-315 plasmacytoma.
abstract: The anticancer chemotherapeutic drugs melphalan (L-phenylalanine mustard; L-PAM), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), methotrexate (MTX), and daunorubicin (DAU) were tested for their toxic activity against MOPC-315 tumor cells in vitro. L-PAM, 5-FU, and DAU had a marked toxic effect whereas MTX did not affect the rate of thymidine incorporation in the tumor cells. L-PAM (7.5 mg/kg) induced permanent regression of large s.c. MOPC-315 plasmacytoma tumors, 5-FU (200-250 mg/kg) induced transient regression of MOPC-315 tumors with reappearance starting on the 6th day after the 5-FU injection and DAU (5 mg/kg) was not effective. L-PAM treatment restored the cytotoxic potential of spleen cells of tumor-bearing mice against target MOPC-315 tumor cells whereas spleen cells from tumor-bearing mice treated with 5-FU were unable to mount a cytotoxic response. L-PAM and 5-FU were also assayed for their effect in vitro on induction of suppressor T cells by ConA. L-PAM treatment in vitro markedly reduced the induction of suppressor T cells by ConA whereas 5-FU had no effect. It is suggested that anticancer chemotherapeutic drugs can be classified in "immunopromoting" (L-PAM as prototype) and "nonimmunopromoting" (5-FU as prototype) on the basis of their effect in vivo on established tumors and their effect on induction of suppressor T cells by ConA.
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000187:drug effects; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008558:Melphalan / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009194:Myeloma Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000494:pharmacology; D010954:Plasmacytoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D009194:Myeloma Proteins; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D003208:Concanavalin A; D008558:Melphalan; D005472:Fluorouracil