title: Interaction between endotoxin and the antitumour agent 5,6-dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid in the induction of tumour necrosis factor and haemorrhagic necrosis of colon 38 tumours.
abstract: The investigational antitumour agent 5,6-dimethyl-xanthenone-4-acetic acid (5,6-MeXAA) induced dose-dependent haemorrhagic necrosis of colon 38 tumours to a similar extent to that induced using bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). TNF-alpha activity in serum and mRNA for TNF-alpha in splenocytes were induced over a broad range of LPS doses, whereas with 5,6-MeXAA, induction occurred only at concentrations approaching the maximum tolerated dose. At concentrations that provided similar degrees of haemorrhagic necrosis, the levels of serum TNF-alpha induced using 5,6-MeXAA were 100-fold lower than those obtained with LPS, indicating that haemorrhagic necrosis was not directly correlated with TNF-alpha levels. There was also no correlation between the degree of tumour necrosis and the duration of growth delay. Treatment with LPS did not induce a significant delay in growth, despite extensive tumour haemorrhagic necrosis, whereas with 5,6-MeXAA, treatments that improved the cure rate did not necessarily give longer growth delays. Therapy using a combination of sub-optimal doses of both compounds was synergistic for the induction of serum TNF-alpha and message for TNF-alpha but was not synergistic for antitumour efficacy. Thus, no correlation is evident between cure rates, duration of growth delay, haemorrhagic necrosis and TNF-alpha induction by 5,6-MeXAA or LPS.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Laboratory, Auckland University School of Medicine, New Zealand.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ching
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Joseph
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Baguley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D009336:Necrosis; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D014966:Xanthenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D044004:Xanthones
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004731:Endotoxins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D014966:Xanthenes; D044004:Xanthones; C066668:vadimezan