title: [Specific curative effects of nitrosourea drugs on tumor cells with Mer--phenotype in Chinese].
abstract: O6-Methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (O6-MT) activity and cellular sensitivity to nitrosourea drugs of 10 kinds of tumor cell strains derived from Chinese patients were measured by 3H radioactivity and colony-forming ability, respectively. The results in vitro showed that nimustine (Nim) 25 micrograms.ml-1 and carmustine (Car) 20 micrograms.ml-1 exhibited specific killing effects on Mer-phenotype tumor cells characterized by low O6-MT activity. In vivo both Nim and Car (25 mg.kg-1.wk-1 x 4 wk, ip) had specific curative ability to Mer- tumor cells implanted in nude mice. These findings suggested that assay of O6- MT activity in tumor biopsy could be used as a predictable guide to human tumor chemotherapy with nitrosourea compounds.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Radiation Medicine, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Y P
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Y N
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002330:Carmustine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D015376:Nimustine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019853:O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase; D010641:Phenotype; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015376:Nimustine; D008780:Methyltransferases; D019853:O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase; D002330:Carmustine