EFFECT OF PH AND ELEVATED-TEMPERATURES ON THE CYTO-TOXICITY OF SOME CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC-AGENTS ON CHINESE-HAMSTER CELLS-INVITRO

  • 1 January 1983
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 43  (12) , 5789-5791
Abstract
The cytotoxicity of some drugs is a function of extracellular pH. This dependence is greatly enhanced at 43.degree. C. At this temperature, the cell-killing ability of 4 drugs was examined in the pH range of 6.5-8.5. For 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea, cytotoxicity is minimum at alkaline pH and increases in monotonic fashion as the milieu becomes more acid. There is little or no effect of pH on the cytotoxicity of methotrexate. Bleomycin is most effective at acidic pH (< 7.5). Above that pH, its cytotoxicity remains unchanged. Amphotericin B is least cytotoxic at the pH of normal tissue, 7.4. At higher or lower values, its cell-killing efficiency increases symmetrically. These results may have some relevance in designing thermo-chemotherapeutic treatment protocols.