Summary We have investigated the effects of 50 min whole-body hyperthermia (WBH; 15 min equilibration followed by 41°C for 35min) on the toxicity and pharmacokinetics of the radiosensitizer Ro 03-8799 in mice.WBH markedly reduced Ro 03-8799 LDSO,7d from 779 to 259 igg-1 (P<0.001). Pharmacokinetics were studied at 175 pgg 1 (-0.6WBHLDSO57d) with and without heat and 437,igg-1 (-0.6 control LDSO/7d) without heat. WBH increased Ro 03-8799 plasma concentrations and prolonged its elimination t112 by 26% (P<0.01). Total plasma area under the curve (AUC,,_-) was increased by 22%. but was still <50% of the unheated high-dose value. Ro 03-8799 concentrated 300-400% in tumour and brain relative to plasma. Absolute tumour and brain levels were unaltered by WBH, giving reduced tissue/plasma ratios. WBH greatly inhibited glomerular filtration (51Cr EDTA clearance) during heating, contributing to the increased plasma Ro 03-8799 concentrations. WBH increased peak plasma concentrations of the Ro 03-8799 N-oxide metabolite Ro 31-0313 by 61%, and the fl-phase AUC of i.v. administered Ro 31-0313 by 36%. Since Ro 31-0313 levels were increased to a greater extent after Ro 03-8799 and WBH than Ro 31-0313 and WBH, WBH must both increase metabolite production and decrease its plasma clearance. WBH had no effect on Ro 31-0313 tumour concentrations or its exclusion from brain. These complex effects of WBH on Ro 03-8799 pharmacokinetics may contribute to the enhanced toxicity, possibly through hyperthermia-stimulated bioreductive drug activation, but do not wholly explain it.The curability of many tumours by radiotherapy may be limited by the presence of radioresistant hypoxic tumour cells. Electron affinic compounds such as the nitroimidazoles act as hypoxic cell radiosensitizers and are also preferentially cytotoxic towards these cells (Adams et al., 1976). Hyperthermia enhances the tumour cytotoxicity of the 2-nitroimidazole radiosensitizer misonidazole (MISO; 1 -(2-nitroimidazol-1 -yl)-3-methoxy-2-propanol) both in vitro (Stratford and Adams, 1977) and in vivo (Bleehen et al., 1977;George et al., 1977) but also increases its acute lethality in mice (Overgaard, 1979).MISO is likely to produce sub-optimal radiosensitization in man because dose-limiting neurotoxicity limits achievable tumour concentrations (see Workman, 1983). Recent studies have shown that 2-nitroimidazoles substituted with basic side chains are more potent radiosensitizers than MISO in vitro (Smithen et al., 1980), with shorter half-lives and hence lower tissue exposures in vivo (Williams et al., 1982
Materials and methodsMice and tumours Adult C3H/He mice were obtained from our own breeding colony and from Olac Ltd (Bicester, UK). Males were used in most experiments but females were used occasionally. Mice were allowed food (PRD nuts; Labsure, Poole, Dorset, UK) and water ad lib, and were used at 25-35 g body weight.The KHT sarcoma was grown in the gastrocnemius muscle of the hind leg as previously described (Twentyman et al., 1979). Mice were treated bearing tumours...