title: Bioavailability and dose-dependent anti-tumour effects of 9-cis retinoic acid on human neuroblastoma xenografts in rat.
abstract: Neuroblastoma, the most common extracranial solid tumour in children, may undergo spontaneous differentiation or regression, but the majority of metastatic neuroblastomas have poor prognosis despite intensive treatment. Retinoic acid regulates growth and differentiation of neuroblastoma cells in vitro, and has shown activity against human neuroblastomas in vivo. The retinoid 9-cis RA has been reported to induce apoptosis in vitro, and to inhibit the growth of human neuroblastoma xenografts in vivo. However, at given dosage, the treatment with 9-cis RA caused significant toxic side effects. In the present study we investigated the bioavailability of 9-cis RA in rat. In addition, we compared two different dose schedules using 9-cis RA. We found that a lower dose of 9-cis RA (2 mg day(-1)) was non-toxic, but showed no significant effect on tumour growth. The bioavailability of 9-cis RA in rat was 11% and the elimination half-life (t1/2) was 35 min. Considering the short t1/2, we divided the toxic, but tumour growth effective dose 5 mg day(-1) into 2.5 mg p.o. twice daily. This treatment regimen showed no toxicity but only limited effect on tumour growth. Our results suggest that 9-cis RA may only have limited clinical significance for treatment of children with poor prognosis neuroblastoma.
authors.affiliation: Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Dept of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska Hospital, S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ponthan
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kogner
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bjellerup
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Klevenvall
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hassan
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000077556:Alitretinoin; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use / Q000633:toxicity; D001682:Biological Availability; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use / Q000633:toxicity; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000077556:Alitretinoin; D014212:Tretinoin