Pharmacological Modulation of Cisplatin Toxicity Rhythms with Buthionine Sulfoximine in Mice Bearing Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma (PO3)

Abstract

In a previous report, we showed that the circadian rhythm of cisplatin (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum, CDDP) toxicity in healthy mice was modified by buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), a specific inhibitor of glutathione (GSH) synthesis. In the present study, the effects of BSO on the rhythms of CDDP toxicity and antitumor efficacy were investigated in mice bearing a transplantable pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PO3). B₆D₂F₁ mice were inoculated widi two 4 mm³ tumor fragments, one in each flank, then were synchronized with an alternation of 12h of light (L) and 12h of darkness (D) (LD 12: 12). Three weeks later, a single dose of CDDP (12 mg/kg iv) was injected at 3h, 7h, 11h, 15h, 19h, or 23h after light onset (HALO) with or without prior BSO (450 mg/kg ip 4h earlier). The antitumor activity of CDDP as assessed by tumor weight change and tumor growth delay was weak in this tumor model irrespective of prior BSO administration or CDDP dosing time. Nevertheless, toxic effects of CDDP as gauged by body weight loss or survival varied significantly according to CDDP dosing time. Body weight loss was least in mice receiving CDDP alone at the mid-to-late active span. Survival rate was 97% in mice treated with CDDP alone and 47% in those receiving prior BSO (χ² = 23.6, p <. 0001). BSO pretreatment further shifted the period of survival or body weight change from 24h to (10 + 24)h, an effect similar to that earlier reported in healthy mice. Thus, PO3 tumor at a measurable stage altered neither the circadian rhythm in CDDP toxicity nor the ultradian rhythm in the toxicity of BSO-CDDP combination. The results suggest that rhythms in target tissues for drug actions can be manipulated with biochemical modulators, thus partly escaping central clock control.

Key Words:

• Circadian rhythms
• Cisplatin
• Buthionine sulfoximine
• Toxicity
• Efficacy