A study of hypoxic cell radiosensitizer applied to Ehrlich ascite tumour: a comparison of FC43 emulsion and pentoxyfilline.

In this study, we examined the effects of various combinations of treatments involving radiation, injections of perfluorochemicals (FC-43 emulsion) and injections of pentoxifylline on the growth delay of Ehrlich ascite tumours. Ehrlich ascite tumour cells were transplanted into the legs of ddY-strain mice. Tumour-bearing mice were divided into seven groups: group 1, no treatment; group 2, irradiated only; group 3, injected with FC-43 emulsion and kept in a carbogen atmosphere; group 4, injected with pentoxifylline and nicotinamide; group 5, injected with FC-43 emulsion, kept in a carbogen atmosphere and irradiated; group 6, injected with pentoxifylline and nicotinamide and irradiated; and group 7, injected with FC-43 emulsion, pentoxifylline and nicotinamide, kept in a carbogen atmosphere and irradiated. When 20 Gy irradiation was applied, tumour growth delay was 11 days in group 2, 20 days in group 5, 22 days in group 6, and 24 days in group 7. For a growth delay of 20 days, the dose modifying factor was 1.95+/-0.04 (standard deviations) in group 5, 1.97+/-0.09 standard deviations in group 6, and 2.01+/-0.07 standard deviations in group 7. It was concluded that FC-43 emulsion and pentoxifylline did not have an interactive effect.