Effect of O-Diazoacetyl-L-Serine (Azaserine) on Growth of Various Mouse and Rat Tumors.

Abstract

Effects of crude culture filtrates of a Streptomyces, and of partially purified and crystalline preparations of azaserine were tested against a spectrum of 17 tumors of the mouse, 5 tumors of the rat and 3 ascites tumors of the mouse. The effects of crude and partially purified filtrates of P165 on these 17 mouse tumors were generally similar to those of crystalline azaserine. With mouse tumors one day old at start of experiment, daily maximum tolerated doses of 5 mg/kg/day of crystalline azaserine had a marked inhibitory effect on sarcoma 180; a moderate inhibitory effect on adenocarcinoma E 0771, Patterson lympho-sarcoma and Mecca lymphosarcoma, and on sarcoma 180 ascites tumor, Ehrlich ascites carcinoma and Krebs 2 ascites carcinoma; 13 other tumors were either only slightly inhibited or not affected. There was no inhibition of any of the tumors except sarcoma 180 when tests were made with 7-day-old growths. Daily doses of 5 mg/kg/day of crystalline azaserine in rats had a definite inhibitory effect on Walker carcino-sarcoma 256, sarcoma R 39, Jensen sarcoma and Murphy-Sturm lymphosarcoma, but only a slight inhibitory effect on Flexner-Jobling carcinoma.