Intravenous adenosine selectively increases blood flow to xenotransplanted intracerebral gliomas.
Adenosine was infused intravenously at 10 mumol/(kg.min) into athymic ("nude") rats with intracerebral D-54MG xenotransplanted brain tumors, in an attempt to increase tumor blood flow. Cerebral blood flow (F) was measured with 14C-iodoantipyrine and quantitative autoradiography. Mean arterial blood pressure was 95 +/- 9.4 (SE) mm Hg in the adenosine group and 112 +/- 6.0 mm Hg in the controls. Averaged mean whole tumor F was significantly higher in adenosine-treated brain tumors (117.6 +/- 20.8 ml/[hg.min]) than in controls (62.2 +/- 9.7 ml/[hg.min]). Regionally, there were significant increases of F in tumor periphery and brain around tumor, but not in tumor center or any tumor-free brain regions. Focal values of F less than 5 ml/(hg.min) were present in some necrotic regions of adenosine-treated tumors. These results, obtained in unanesthetized rats with transplanted gliomas from a human cell line, confirm our earlier observations in avian sarcoma virus-induced brain sarcomas in dogs, and suggest that adenosine or perhaps other vasodilators could be used to selectively increase the delivery of lipid-soluble chemotherapeutic drugs to brain tumors.
Warnke
P C
PC
Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Medical School, Evanston, IL.
Molnar
P
P
Bigner
D D
DD
Heistad
D H
DH
Groothuis
D R
DR
D000241:Adenosine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000818:Animals; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D005910:Glioma / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D051381:Rats; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
D000241:Adenosine