Male DBA2 mice were given 10(6) P-388 leukaemic cells i.p. and cimetidine (CMT) at 100 mg/kg 1 day for 10 days, or as a single 100 mg/kg injection 30 min before cyclophosphamide (CTX). CMT significantly prolonged the survival of groups of mice receiving 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg of CTX 3 days after tumour inoculation. Median survival increased by 5.5 days (P less than 0.05), 10 days (P less than 0.05) and 13 days (P less than 0.05) respectively. The addition of CMT had the effect of roughly doubling the CTX dose, without increasing the lethality. CMT produced the only long-term survival seen in the study (1-2/10) CMT alone had no apparent antitumour activity. CMT significantly prolonged mean pentobarbital sleep to 28.6-60 min vs only 10 min for phenobarbital treated mice. Both CMT regimens increased the plasma concentration time products for CTX-induced metabolites (NBP) by about 1.3 fold (in contrast to a 33% reduction with phenobarbital). On average the single-dose CMT regimen produced the greatest effect on survival, on pentobarbital sleep duration and on total NBP reactive species. Probable mechanisms for the CMT-CTX interaction include competitive microsomal enzyme inhibition and/or acutely depressed hepatic blood flow. Caution should be used in combining CMT with full doses of CTX and any other highly metabolized antineoplastic agents in man.
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