Polymeric prodrugs of mitomycin C designed for tumour tropism and sustained activation

Prodrugs of mitomycin C (MMC) based on soluble poly-[N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-L-glutamine] (pHEG) polymers have been evaluated as tumour-targeted drugs. These materials are designed to exploit the enhanced permeability of tumour vasculature, combining a passive tumour tropism with decreased systemic liberation of free MMC. A tri- or tetrapeptide linkage (e.g. Gly-Phe-Ala-Leu) between pHEG and the aziridine nitrogen of MMC can combine good hydrolytic stability with rapid cleavage by lysosomal enzymes, releasing free MMC. The conjugates showed decreased systemic toxicity and could be administered to mice at a total MMC dose of 15 mg/kg i.v., compared with just 6 mg/kg for free MMC. Conjugates also showed better activity against animal models of established tumours, achieving up to 77% increased life span (ILS) against solid P388 leukaemia, compared with only 23% for free MMC, and up to 121% ILS against solid C26 colorectal carcinoma, compared with no activity for the free drug. Improving the therapeutic index of anticancer drugs by combining tumour tropism with decreased systemic toxicity is a versatile approach that should produce a new generation of improved anticancer agents.     

Prolonged tamoxifen exposure selects a breast cancer cell clone that is stable in vitro and in vivo

The effects of long-term tamoxifen exposure on cell growth and cell cycle kinetics were compared between oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive (MCF-7) and ER-negative (MDA-MB-231) cell lines. In the MCF-7 cell line, prolonged tamoxifen exposure (0.5 mumol/l for > 100 days) blocked cells in G0-G1 of the cell cycle, and slowed the doubling time of cells from 30 to 59 h. These effects corresponded to an increase in the cellular accumulation of tamoxifen over time [mean area under concentration curve (AUC) = 77.92 mumoles/10(6)/cells/day]. In contrast, in the MDA-MB-231 cell line, long-term tamoxifen exposure had no obvious effect on the doubling time, and reduced cellular tamoxifen accumulation (mean AUC = 50.50 mumoles/10(6)/cells/day) compared to the MCF-7 cells. Flow cytometric analysis of MDA-MB-231 cells demonstrated that a new tetraploid clone emerged following 56 days of tamoxifen exposure. Inoculation of the MDA-MB-231 tetraploid clone and MDA-MB-231 wildtype cells into the opposite flanks of athymic nude mice resulted in the rapid growth of tetraploid tumours. The tetraploid tumours maintained their ploidy following tamoxifen treatment for nine consecutive serial transplantations. Histological examination of the fifth transplant generation xenografts revealed that the tetraploid tumour had a 25-30 times greater mass, area of haemorrhage and necrosis, a slightly higher mitotic index and was more anaplastic than the control neoplasm. The control wildtype MDA-MB-231 tumours maintained a stable ploidy following tamoxifen treatment until the eighth and ninth transplantation, when a tetraploid population appeared, suggesting that tamoxifen treatment may select for this clone in vivo. These studies suggest that prolonged tamoxifen exposure may select for new, stable, fast growing cell clones in vitro as well as in vivo.     

Duration of spinal anaesthesia is determined by the partition coefficient of local anaesthetic

We have compared the duration of motor block produced by four local anaesthetics administered into a chronically implanted subarachnoid catheter in rabbits. Each group (n = 6) received four different doses of amethocaine, bupivacaine, lignocaine or procaine, and the duration of the resulting motor block was assessed. Dose-response curves were plotted for each drug. As a measure of activity of the anaesthetics, we used the dose of each drug required to produce block of 60-min duration (D60 min) and the correlation between D60 min and different drug properties was examined. An inverse linear correlation (r = 0.995; P < 0.01) was observed between log D60 min and the log of the partition coefficient of the local anaesthetics. No correlation was found between the effect and degree of protein binding, pKa or molecular weight. These results suggest that, in spinal anaesthesia, the partition coefficient could be used as a predictor of the duration of anaesthetic action.     

Mechanisms of virus assembly probed by Raman spectroscopy: the icosahedral bacteriophage P22

A microdialysis flow cell has been developed for time-resolved Raman spectroscopy of biological macromolecules and their assemblies. The flow cell permits collection of Raman spectra concurrent with the efflux of small solute molecules into a solution of macromolecules and facilitates real-time spectroscopic detection of structural transitions induced by the effluent. Additionally, the flow cell is well suited to the investigation of hydrogen-isotope exchange phenomena that can be exploited as dynamic probes of viral protein folding and solvent accessibility along the assembly pathway. Here, we describe the application of the Raman dynamic probe to the maturation of the icosahedral capsid of bacteriophage P22, a double-stranded DNA virus. The P22 virion is constructed from a capsid precursor (procapsid) consisting of 420 coat subunits (gp5) in an outer shell and a few hundred scaffolding subunits (gp8) within. Capsid maturation involves expulsion of scaffolding subunits coupled with shell expansion at the time of DNA packaging. Raman static and dynamic probes reveal that the scaffolding subunit is highly alpha-helical and highly thermolabile, and lacks a typical hydrophobic core. When bound within the procapsid, the alpha-helical fold of gp8 is thermostabilized; however, this stabilization confers no apparent protection against peptide NH-->ND exchange. A molten globule model is proposed for the native scaffolding subunit that functions in procapsid assembly. Accompanying capsid expansion, a small conformational change (alpha-helix-->beta-strand) is also observed in the coat subunit. Domain movement mediated by hinge bending is proposed as the mechanism of capsid expansion. On the basis of these results, a molecular model is proposed for assembly of the P22 procapsid.     

Pharmacology of ATP-sensitive potassium channel (KATP) openers in models of myocardial ischemia and reperfusion

Cancer cells release various antigens, some of which appear in the urine. Oral autourotherapy is suggested as a new treatment modality for cancer patients. It will provide the intestinal lymphatic system with the many tumor antigens against which antibodies may be produced. These antibodies may be pierced through the blood stream and attack the tumor and its cells.     

Frequent clones of p53-mutated keratinocytes in normal human skin

The multiple genetic hit model of cancer predicts that normal individuals should have stable populations of cancer-prone, but noncancerous, mutant cells awaiting further genetic hits. We report that whole-mount preparations of human skin contain clonal patches of p53-mutated keratinocytes, arising from the dermal-epidermal junction and from hair follicles. These clones, 60-3000 cells in size, are present at frequencies exceeding 40 cells per cm2 and together involve as much as 4% of the epidermis. In sun-exposed skin, clones are both more frequent and larger than in sun-shielded skin. We conclude that, in addition to being a tumorigenic mutagen, sunlight acts as a tumor promoter by favoring the clonal expansion of p53-mutated cells. These combined actions of sunlight result in normal individuals carrying a substantial burden of keratinocytes predisposed to cancer.     

Postoperative arachnoiditis diagnosed by high resolution fast spin-echo MRI of the lumbar spine

Concentrations of 11 trace elements were determined in 56 control and 98 Alzheimer's disease (AD) olfactory bulb, olfactory tract, olfactory trigone, piriform cortex and amygdala specimens by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Iron and zinc were significantly elevated and bromine was significantly depleted in olfactory regions of AD patients, compared with normal age-matched control subjects. Elevated iron could possibly play a role in neuronal degeneration in AD by enhancing reactive free radical formation.