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D B Leeper

Publications and source records attributed to D B Leeper.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Thermoradiation therapy for superficial malignant tumors.

BACKGROUND: Between 1980-1990, 126 patients were treated with radiation therapy (RT) and hyperthermia using 915-MHz external microwave applicators. All but 11 patients had failed to respond to previous therapy. METHODS: The mean tumor volume was 73 +/- 13 cm3, and the mean radiation dose delivered was 45 +/- 1 Gy. Hyperthermia was administered biweekly in 83% of the fields in 5.5 +/- 0.2 sessions. Lesions were stratified by depth. The predictive influence of pretreatment or treatment parameters was analyzed for the probability of response by logistic regression and for the duration of local control by proportional hazards. RESULTS: In tumors considered potentially heatable (i.e., < or = 3-cm deep), the complete response (CR) rate was 70%, whereas the CR rate for patients with tumors deeper than 3 cm was 18% (P < 0.0001). Among superficial lesions of less than or equal to 3-cm depth that exhibited a CR, 14 recurred (26%, 8.7 +/- 1.6 months), while 39 lesions were recurrence-free at last follow-up of 17.8 +/- 1.4 months. The 50% tumor-effective dose was 44 Gy. For superficial lesions that received between 30-60 Gy, the CR rate was 55% when the fraction size was less than 3 Gy, whereas it was 77% when the fraction size was 3-4 Gy (P = 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the model best correlating with CR included concurrent radiation dose (P = 0.006) and tumor volume (P = 0.02; model P = 0.0001). Multivariate proportional hazard analysis indicated that the model best correlating with duration of local control included tumor histology (P = 0.004; model P = 0.0007). The overall survival rate of patients with lesions of less than or equal to 3-cm depth who were treated with thermoradiation therapy was 16.1 +/- 1.2 months. For patients with lesions more than 3-cm deep, survival was 8.7 +/- 1.1 months (P < 0.001). Forty-two fields were treated without any skin reactions (33%), 59 exhibited erythema (47%), and 25 experienced thermal blistering (20%). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of superficial malignant tumors can benefit from the adjuvant use of hyperthermia delivered with external 915-MHz applicators provided tumors are less than 3 cm from the surface and the lateral margins are within the 50% specific absorption rate (SAR) on the surface.

Adenocarcinoma↗

'Patchwork' fields in thermoradiotherapy for extensive chest wall recurrences of breast carcinoma.

Chest wall lesions of advanced breast carcinoma in 23 patients were treated with thermoradiotherapy with clinical intent between January 1987 and March 1992. Treatment consisted of external 915 MHz microwave hyperthermia with commercially available applicators and radiation therapy to doses between 32-58 Gy. Twenty-three large, diffuse lesions were treated with multiple field patchwork hyperthermia. All lesions were diffuse with or without multiple nodules < or = 3 cm depth. All lesions had failed previous therapy. The mean number of hyperthermia fields per patient was 3.2 +/- 0.4 (range of 2-7). The complete response rate was 91% in this group of extensive, diffuse lesions treated by the patchwork technique. Mean total radiation dose administered concurrently with multiple field patchwork hyperthermia was 42 +/- 1 Gy. The recurrence rate was 5%. The mean survival in patients who had a complete response was 9.0 +/- 1.3 months. The reduced survival among patchwork treated patients was due to the extensive tumor burden existing outside of the treated fields in these patients. The skin reactions were minor, causing minimal discomfort. There was no evidence of increased thermal damage to skin, or of tumor recurrence at junctions of hyperthermia field overlap. It is concluded that extensive, diffuse lesions of chest wall recurrence of advanced carcinoma of the breast can be treated effectively with multiple field patchwork thermotherapy.

Adult↗

Hyperthermia and radiation in advanced malignant melanoma.

Advanced melanoma (48 lesions in 40 patients) was treated with external microwave hyperthermia combined with radiation therapy between 1980-1988. Thirty-three lesions in 28 patients were evaluable for tumor response (mean age 64 years, 19 male, 9 female). Evaluable lesions received 13 to 66 Gy (mean 37 +/- 2 Gy) over 5 to 16 fractions (mean of 10) in 14 to 56 elapsed days (mean of 25). Tumor volume (pi/6*length*width*depth) was 62 +/- 16 cm3 (1-377 cm3). Hyperthermia was administered in 6.6 +/- 0.4 sessions (range 1-14), there were 3.2 +/- 0.4 thermal sensors per tumor (range 1-11) and 27 fields were treated twice-weekly (82%). Of the 33 evaluable lesions, 12 exhibited a complete response (36%), and 17 had a partial response (52%). Among the 12 complete responders four recurrences (33%) were observed at 8.6 +/- 1.4 months (median of 8.2 months). In superficial tumors with depth < or = 3 cm and with lateral dimensions within 2 cm of the boundaries of the microwave applicator, the complete response rate was 50% (11/22); whereas for patients with deeper tumors with depth > 3 cm, the complete response rate was 9% (1/11), p = 0.02. The minimal tumor thermal dose during the first hyperthermia treatment session correlated with response (t43min1 = 20 +/- 7 vs. 6 +/- 3 minEq43 degrees C for complete responders and noncomplete responders, respectively, p = 0.06); and 7 of 10 lesions that had t43min 1 > or = 8 minEq43 degrees C achieved a complete response whereas only 5 of 22 lesions (23%) that had t43min1 < 8 minEq43 degrees C did so (p = 0.01). However, neither the minimum tumor temperature during the first treatment, the median minimum tumor temperature over all treatment sessions nor the sum of minimum thermal dose over all treatment sessions correlated with tumor response. Twenty-three patients with 28 lesions died during follow-up (82%). The survival for complete responding patients with superficial lesions was 21.3 +/- 1.5 months compared to 4.5 +/- 0.5 months for patients with superficial lesions that did not experience a complete response (p = 0.0001). For patients with noncomplete responding lesions deeper than 3 cm survival was 4.4 +/- 0.6 months. Twenty lesions were treated without any skin reaction (42%, 20/48). Of the rest, 23 had erythema (48%, 23/48), seven had blistering (14%, 7/48) and one had ulceration of the skin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adult↗

The thermal response and development of thermotolerance of the bone marrow stromal progenitor CFU-F.

The effect of hyperthermia on the murine bone marrow stromal progenitor (fibroblast colony-forming unit, CFU-F) was evaluated and its ability to develop thermotolerance demonstrated. CFU-F were obtained from nucleated marrow of Balb/c mice and heated in vitro in alpha minimum essential medium plus 15% fetal bovine serum. Thermotolerance development was tested two ways. 1) The development of thermotolerance during prolonged hyperthermia was observed with a "step-up" heating protocol (i.e., cells were incubated at 41 degrees C and at regular intervals challenged with 15 min at 44 degrees C). 2) The development of thermotolerance at 37 degrees C after a short exposure to a high temperature (greater than or equal to 43 degrees C) was observed with a split treatment protocol that consisted of two 15-min treatments of 44 degrees C separated with time at 37 degrees C. The inverse of the slopes of the hyperthermia dose-response relationships (Do +/- SE) for CFU-F were 118 +/- 14, 53 +/- 7, 23 +/- 0.6, 11 +/- 0.3, 7 +/- 0.3, and 5 +/- 0.5 min for exposures of 41.5 degrees, 42 degrees, 42.5 degrees, 43 degrees, 43.5 degrees, and 44 degrees C, respectively. The plot of the slopes of the heat "dose-response" relationships versus the inverse of the absolute temperature (Arrhenius plot) yields a change in slope at approximately 43 degrees C, and the inactivation enthalpies (slopes above and below the inflection point at 43 degrees C) were 606 +/- 100 kJ/mol (145 +/- 24 kcal/mol) and 1372 +/- 29 kJ/mol (328 +/- 7 kcal/mol) above and below 43 degrees C, respectively. The maximum thermotolerance ratio (TTR, surviving fraction after maximum thermotolerance development to surviving fraction of normotolerant CFU-F) at 37 degrees C after an acute thermal exposure to 15 min at 44 degrees C occurred after 12 h, with a half time of 60 min and a TTR of 41. The maximum TTR during prolonged hyperthermia at 41 degrees C was 2.4 by approximately 50 min. These results show that CFU-F are as sensitive as committed hematopoietic precursors (e.g., granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units, CFU-GM) to hyperthermia over a wide range of thermal exposures and are capable of thermotolerance development during prolonged hyperthermic exposures and at 37 degrees C after short exposures. We conclude that at least one of the stromal elements of normal marrow may be compromised during whole-body or regional clinical hyperthermia protocols.

Animals↗

The development of thermotolerance in bone marrow CFU-S during chronic hyperthermia.

The purpose of this investigation was to study the response of the hematopoietic stem cell, spleen colony-forming unit (CFU-S), to hyperthermia. We have shown that CFU-S can acquire a transient resistance to further heating (thermotolerance). Hyperthermia was applied in vitro to nucleated bone marrow cells in McCoy's 5A medium plus 15% fetal bovine serum. Day-10 CFU-S (CFU-S10) were detected as spleen colonies after inoculation into the tail vein of irradiated (450 cGy plus 4 h plus 400 cGy) Balb/c male mice. Thermotolerance development was detected with a "step-up" heating protocol consisting of heating for various times at 42 degrees C followed immediately with a thermal challenge of 26 min at 44 degrees C. The inverse of the slopes of the heat "dose-response" curves (D degree +/- SE) of the normotolerant CFU-S heated to 42 degrees, 42.5 degrees, 43 degrees, 43.5 degrees, and 44 degrees C were 108 +/- 13, 54 +/- 8, 25 +/- 1, 17 +/- 2, and 12 +/- 5 min, respectively. A plot of the slopes of the heat "dose-response" relationships versus the inverse of the absolute temperature (Arrhenius plot) showed an inflection at approximately 43 degrees C. Analysis of the regression coefficient above and below the inflection point (Arrhenius analysis) yielded inactivation enthalpies (+/- SE) of 598 +/- 130 kJ/mol (143 +/- 31 kcal/mol) and 1205 +/- 171 kJ/mol (288 +/- 41 kcal/mol), respectively. The difference in inactivation enthalpy indicates a change in mechanism in the thermal inactivation of CFU-S above and below 43 degrees C, possibly due to thermotolerance development during exposure to temperatures less than 43 degrees C. Prolonged incubation at 42 degrees C for up to 180 min with a step-up to 44 degrees C for 26 min showed that CFU-S survival increased rapidly from 0.25 (26 min at 44 degrees C) to 0.52 within 10 min. The thermotolerance ratio (TTR, ratio of the surviving fraction of the maximum thermotolerant cells to that of the normotolerant cells) was 2.1. Both the higher inactivation enthalpy for exposures less than 43 degrees C and the rapid increase in survival during the "step-up" heating experiments at 42 degrees C demonstrate that CFU-S can develop thermotolerance during prolonged hyperthermia. These results suggest that thermotolerance can influence the thermal response of pluripotent bone marrow stem cells heated during whole-body or local-regional clinical hyperthermia protocols.

Animals↗

Response of murine bone marrow granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units to hyperthermia in situ.

A detailed understanding of how bone marrow stem cell progenitors are affected by heat is prerequisite to predicting how whole-body or regional hyperthermia protocols may affect bone marrow function. This investigation reports the reproductive integrity of murine tibial bone marrow granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units (CFU-GM) after in situ hyperthermia. Heat was applied by water bath immersion of the leg of male BALB/c mice anesthetized with 90 mg/kg pentobarbital given subcutaneously. Tibial and rectal temperatures were monitored in representative animals by microthermocouples (tip diameter approximately 100 microns). By approximately 3 min after immersion of the limb, marrow temperature was within 0.3 degree C of water bath temperature (O'Hara et al., Int. J. Hyperthermia 5, 589-601, 1989) and was within 0.1 degree C by 5 min after immersion. The CFU-GM were cultured in "lung-conditioned" McCoy's 5A medium supplemented with 15% fetal calf serum and 0.3% Bacto agar. In situ heating of tibial marrow to exposure temperatures of 42, 42.5, 43, 44, and 45 degrees C gave D0's (+/- 95% CI) of 91 +/- 44, 44 +/- 27, 27 +/- 2.2, 16 +/- 6, and 7 +/- 4 min, respectively. Heating to 41.5 degrees C for up to 180 min did not result in cytotoxicity. Development of thermotolerance after approximately 100 min of heating was apparent by the presence of a "resistant tail" of the 42 degrees C survival curve. A plot of D0 vs water bath temperature was bimodal with an inflection point at approximately 42.5 degrees C. The inactivation enthalpy for temperatures above 42.5 degrees C was 586 kJ/mol (140 kcal/mol) and for temperatures below 42.5 degrees C was estimated to be 1205 kJ/mol (288 kcal/mol). These results show that CFU-GM can be heated predictably in situ, can be inactivated with thermal exposures as low as 42 degrees C, and are capable of developing thermotolerance. These findings underscore the necessity to understand stem cell inactivation by hyperthermia in situ prior to widespread implementation of clinical hyperthermia protocols where bone marrow may be included in the treatment field.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Radioiodinated rhodamine-123: preparation and preliminary evaluation as an agent for tumor scintigraphy.

Mitochondria specific dye, rhodamine-123 (Rh-123), has been labeled with radioactive iodine and tissue distribution of the radiolabeled product has been studied in mice. Transplantable KHT sarcoma and a spontaneous adenomammary carcinoma served as tumor models. The FAB mass spectra of iodinated Rh-123 indicated that mono and di-iodo products were formed which, as shown by other in vitro tests, were positively charged, and were heavily taken up by the mitochondria of living cells in culture. In animals, it was observed that, initially the radioactivity was taken up by all major organs from which it cleared rapidly including that from the KHT sarcoma; but not from the spontaneous adenomammary carcinoma. As a result, the spontaneous tumors retained much higher radioactivity than the equal weight of blood (x4.3) or muscle (x9.5), and were unequivocally detectable by external scintigraphy. The mitochondria selectivity and the specificity of the radioiodinated Rh-123 for the tumors of epithelial origin are exciting and warrant further studies of its use in diagnosis and therapy.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Effect of poly(adenosinediphosphoribose) synthesis inhibitors and structurally related compounds on radiation-induced G2 arrest.

A variety of poly(adenosinediphosphoribose) p(ADPR) synthesis inhibitors, structurally related compounds with no inhibitory activity, and agents which reduce radiation-induced G2 arrest, were tested for the concentration dependence of their effect on (a) CHO cell progression to mitosis, (b) the duration of G2 arrest in X-irradiated CHO cells and (c) [14C]NAD incorporation in permeabilized CHO cells, as a measure of p(ADPR) synthetase activity. Caffeine and nicotinamide uptake by viable cells was also measured. The concentration dependencies for reduction of radiation-induced G2 arrest and for p(ADPR) synthesis inhibition were markedly disparate, although all of the active inhibitors of p(ADPR) synthesis did reduce the duration of radiation-induced G2 arrest to some extent. These data indicate that p(ADPR) synthesis is not a requirement for the induction of G2 arrest by ionizing radiation.

Aminobenzoates↗

Modification of human tumor pH by elevation of blood glucose.

Nine patients with metastatic or recurrent superficial tumors of varying size and histology were administered 100 g oral glucose to investigate whether hyperglycemia can selectively lower tumor pH. pH was measured by a 21 ga modified glass needle electrode inserted through an 18 ga open-ended Angiocath. Serum glucose was monitored every 7.5 min by finger stick and a blood glucose analyzer. Tumor pH was measured over 50-80 min concomitantly with determination of blood glucose. In five nondiabetic patients (eight measurement points) tumor pH decreased 0.05-0.5 units from a pre-glucose range of 6.8-7.4 (7.14 +/- 0.08) to 6.4-7.3 (6.90 +/- 0.10) as blood glucose increased from a baseline of 80-120 mg/dl to 165-215 mg/dl. There was considerable heterogeneity from patient to patient regardless whether blood glucose increased to a peak at 40-60 min post-ingestion and then decreased, or whether it remained elevated up to the end of the 80 min observation period. In general, tumor pH decreased as blood glucose increased and then continued to fall throughout the period of observation. In one patient, tumor pH did not change although blood glucose increased to 175 mg/dl. Normal tissue pH was 7.36 +/- 0.02 when determined on four occasions in three patients (subcutaneous and intramuscular sites), and was unaffected by glucose administration. As a further control for tumor tissue and pH probe stability, pH probes in two patients were left in place for 30 min before glucose ingestion. The tumor pH was stable for the entire interval. Interestingly, three patients had an abnormal glucose response: two of those patients (one patient on two separate occasions) had an increase in blood glucose to 230-260 mg/dl in 40-60 min and pH actually increased 0.1-0.3 units. The third patient had a transient increase in blood glucose to 290 mg/dl along with a corresponding increase and subsequent decrease in tumor pH. In summary, whether glucose was given pre- or post-hyperthermia, independently of position in the tumor, and independently of whether pH increased or decreased, the slope of the curve of pH = f(time) was similar in a given patient tumor on all measurement occasions. These preliminary results suggest that hyperglycemia may be useful in non-diabetic patients, and perhaps in diabetic patients given insulin, to selectively reduce tumor pH and sensitize tumors to hyperthermia.

Administration, Oral↗

Response of human tumor blood flow to local hyperthermia.

The effect of heat on blood flow in human tumors was studied as a function of time during 1 hour of local hyperthermia induced by 915 MHz microwaves. Blood flow was determined from the rate of thermal clearance by use of the bio-heat transfer equation. The rate of thermal clearance was measured at intervals of approximately 10 minutes throughout the treatment session by turning off the microwave power for 50 seconds. Tumor blood flow increased by amounts varying from 15 to 250% during the first 20-50 minutes of heating at 41-45 degrees C, after which it remained relatively constant during the remainder of the treatment session. The sharp reduction in blood flow or vascular stasis reported in most transplantable rodent tumors after comparable heating was not observed in human tumors. The maximum blood flow observed in heated human tumors ranged from 10-40 ml/min/100 gm. The systematic error due to thermal conduction was estimated to be equivalent to a blood flow of less than 3 ml/min/100 gm.

Adenocarcinoma↗

pH distribution in human tumors.

The effectiveness of hyperthermia in tumor therapy may depend on a lower extracellular pH of tumor compared to that of normal tissue. A technique for measuring extracellular pH in human tumors has been devised to test the usefulness of this parameter as prognostic indicator of tumor hyperthermia response. In a preliminary study 50 of 53 pH readings from 14 human tumors (both heated and unheated) were below normal physiological pH. Tumor pH values ranged between 5.55-7.69 (average for unheated tumors 6.81 +/- 0.09, SEM, only one determination was above 7.40). Although there was considerable heterogeneity of pH within tumors, the accuracy and drift of the 21 gauge needle electrode were not a problem. Fifteen minutes were required for pH stabilization after insertion of an 18 gauge open-ended catheter, and less than 5 min for equilibration after electrode insertion into the catheter. A saline wheal was used for anesthesia to preclude modification of pH by anesthetics. Central portions of tumors were no more acidic than peripheral regions, but large tumors tended to be more acidic than small tumors. The pH of several tumors of various sizes and histologies was also determined immediately before subsequent treatment sessions. These measurements were made by reinsertion of catheters in approximately the same locations at each session. The trend appeared to be that pH increased with the number of treatment sessions. Measurements of pH were made in four patients immediately prior to and at the termination of a heating session (same locations since catheter remained in place during heating sessions). Three of the four tumors showed increased pH readings of 0.25-0.54 units during heating. However, none of the four tumors achieved temperatures exceeding 42 degrees C. The pH measurement technique developed provides a safe and relatively easy method for determining extracellular pH in human tumors. There appears to be a correlation of pH values with tumor size, treatment session, and possibly blood flow.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Effect of hyperthermia on the radiation response of Chinese hamster small intestine.

The Chinese hamster small intestine was surgically exteriorised from the ligament of Trietz to the ileocaecal junction and heated for 8 min at 44.3 degrees C (a non-lethal dose) at various intervals before or after whole-body 60Co irradiation. Hyperthermia exposure immediately after irradiation reduced the LD50/7 from the control of 1,230 cGy to 798 cGy (thermal enhancement ratio, TER, of 1.5). At an interval between irradiation and hyperthermia of 2 h the LD50/7 was 935 cGy, and it remained at that value for intervals of 2-24 h. The increase in the LD50/7 by 2 hours after irradiation probably represents the repair of radiation damage that can interact with hyperthermia, and after two hours the two modalities interact independently. When the small intestine was exposed to 44.3 degrees C hyperthermia immediately prior to irradiation, the LD50/7 was reduced to 658 cGy (TER = 1.8). As hyperthermia and radiation treatments were separated the LD50/7 returned to the control value by 24 h and was unchanged over 24-72 h. This indicates that by 24 h, recovery from hyperthermia damage that could interact with radiation damage was complete. For the sequence hyperthermia----radiation, 33% of the hyperthermia damage was repaired by 1 h; whereas for radiation----hyperthermia, 85% of the radiation damage was repaired by 1 h. The sequence-dependent interaction of hyperthermia and radiation damage in normal tissues is complex, but the kinetics of interaction for the sequence radiation----hyperthermia seem to be predictable for several normal tissues in different species.

Animals↗

Superoxide dismutase levels in Chinese hamster ovary cells and ovarian carcinoma cells after hyperthermia or exposure to cycloheximide.

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) and ovarian carcinoma (OvCa) cells was measured after exposure to hyperthermia and correlated with the development of thermotolerance. The SOD activity of each cell type was largely copper- and zinc-containing SOD activity. Both cell types had similar but low levels of SOD activity when the cells were grown at 37 degrees C. After exposure for 2 h at 41.5 degrees C, SOD activity of OvCa cells, but not of CHO cells, was increased. After exposure to 45 degrees C for 15 min, SOD activity was also increased in the OvCa cells, but not in CHO cells. After 15 min at 45 degrees C followed by 1 h incubation at 37 degrees C, SOD activity was increased in OvCa and CHO cells; after an 8-h incubation at 37 degrees C, SOD activity doubled in each cell type. Thermotolerance is maximal after 2 to 3 h of exposure at 41.5 degrees C and after 8 to 10 h incubation at 37 degrees C following exposure to 15 min at 45 degrees C. The turnover of SOD activity in OvCa cells was estimated by the rate at which activity was lost following addition of cycloheximide (10 micrograms/ml). Twenty-four % of the activity was lost with a half-life of 10 min, and 76% was lost with a half-life of 4.5 h. Despite restriction of general protein synthesis 3 to 4 h after 45 degrees C hyperthermia, SOD activity was increased at 1 and 8 h after exposure, presumably coincidental with heat shock protein synthesis and development of thermotolerance. These data suggest that SOD activity may be important in protecting cells exposed to heat and that it may play a role in the development of thermotolerance.

Animals↗

Cell cycle age dependence for radiation-induced G2 arrest: evidence for time-dependent repair.

Exponentially growing eucaryotic cells, irradiated in interphase, are delayed in progression to mitosis chiefly by arrest in G2. The sensitivity of Chinese hamster ovary cells to G2-arrest induction by X rays increases through the cell cycle, up to the X-ray transition point (TP) in G2. This age response can be explained by cell cycle age-dependent changes in susceptibility of the target(s) for G2 arrest and/or by changes in capability for postirradiation recovery from G2-arrest damage. Discrimination between sensitivity changes and repair phenomena is possible only if the level of G2-arrest-causing damage sustained by a cell at the time of irradiation and the level ultimately expressed as arrest can be determined. The ability of caffeine to ameliorate radiation-induced G2 arrest, while inhibiting repair of G2-arrest-causing damage makes such an analysis possible. CHO cell monolayers were irradiated (1.5 Gy), then exposed to 5 mM caffeine for periods of 0-10 hr. Cell progression was monitored by the mitotic cell selection procedure. In the presence of caffeine, progression of irradiated cells was relatively unperturbed, but on caffeine removal, G2 arrest was expressed. The duration of G2 arrest was independent of the length of the prior caffeine exposure and, since cells of all ages were ultimately examined, the duration of arrest was also independent of cell cycle age at the time of irradiation. This finding indicates that the target for G2-arrest induction is present throughout the cell cycle and that the level of G2-arrest damage incurred is initially constant for all cell cycle phases. The data are consistent with the existence of a time-dependent recovery mechanism to explain the age dependence for radiation induction of G2 arrest.

Animals↗

Effect of intestinal hyperthermia in the Chinese hamster.

If hyperthermia is to become a useful cancer therapeutic modality, normal tissue response must be thoroughly understood. The hyperthermia response of Chinese hamster intestine was studied by immersion of the exteriorized small intestine in heated tissue culture medium. After heating, the small intestine was reinserted, the incision closed, and animals observed until death. Animals exposed to 42.5 degrees, 43.5 degrees, or 44.5 degrees C intestinal hyperthermia exhibited LD50/7 values (including 95% intervals) of 56 min (52.9-59.3), 29 min (26.4-31.8), or 14 min (13.2-14.6), respectively. An Arrhenius plot of LD50/7 vs 1/T degree K exhibited an inactivation energy of 139 kcal/mole, which corresponds well with values generally reported for cellular inactivation. Hamster intestine conditioned with a sublethal exposure of 8 min at 44.5 degrees C developed thermotolerance to subsequent 44.5 degrees C hyperthermia. Thermotolerance induction was maximal by 24 hr; the LD50/7 for the second dose of hyperthermia increased from 6 min at 44.5 degrees C at zero time to 21 min at 44.5 degrees C after a treatment interval of 24 hr (thermotolerance ratio of 3.5). The LD50/7 subsequently decreased from 21 min to 12 min at 44.5 degrees C (the control value) by 96 hr. The hyperthermia response of this tissue was predicated by previous results from the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) fibroblast cell line in tissue culture, and is also similar to several mouse normal tissues.

Animals↗

The effect of lucanthone on sublethal radiation damage, in vivo.

The capacity of the Chinese hamster jejunal crypt cell to accumulate and repair sublethal radiation damage was determined by analyzing the return of the shoulder of the radiation dose-crypt microcolony survival curve (Dr) after a priming dose of 1250 rad. The control split dose crypt cell survival curve exhibited a D0, Dr and "n" of 179 +/- 3 rad, 261 +/- 3 rad and 4.3 respectively; repair of sublethal radiation damage was completed by two hours post-irradiation. The effect of lucanthone (an antischistosomal DNA intercalating agent) on the crypt cell's capacity to accumulate and repair sublethal radiation damage was determined by injecting the drug (100 mg/kg, i.p.) at intervals before irradiation with a priming dose of 1250 rad, followed two hours later by graded doses. Injection coincident with the priming dose of radiation resulted in a 22 rad reduction of the Dr (compared to control Dr). Injection eight hours before the priming dose almost completely inhibited the accumulation and repair of sublethal radiation damage so that the resultant Dr two hours later was only 29 rad (a 232 rad reduction). At no time was the D0 of the crypt cell survival curve affected by lucanthone. These data confirm previous results from whole crypt analysis and LD50/7 analysis that non-toxic concentrations of lucanthone reversibly inhibit the accumulation and repair of sublethal radiation damage in a time-dependent manner with complete inhibition approximately eight hours post-injection. This drug is useful for the study of sublethal radiation damage in vivo and may be beneficial in radiation therapy of cancer when it is desirable to inhibit the repair of sublethal radiation damage.

Animals↗

Effect of caffeine on radiation-induced mitotic delay: delayed expression of G2 arrest.

In the presence of 5 mM caffeine, irradiated (1.5 Gy) S and G2 cells progressed to mitosis in register and without arrest in G2. Caffeine (5 mM) markedly reduced mitotic delay even after radiation doses up to 20 Gy. When caffeine was removed from irradiated (1.5 Gy) and caffeine-treated cells, a period of G2 arrest followed, similar in length to that produced by radiation alone. The arrest expressed was independent of the duration of the caffeine treatment for exposures up to 3 hr. The similarity of the response to the cited effects of caffeine on S-phase delay suggests a common basis for delay induction in S and G2 phases.

Animals↗