Chemosensitivity of squamous cell carcinoma grown in implantable chambers.

This study was motivated by the need to develop new methods to predict tumor response to chemotherapeutic agents. Using implantable cell-growth chambers, squamous carcinoma cells from head and neck tumors were xenografted into the peritoneal cavity of immunocompetent rats. Animals were divided into control and treatment groups. The treatment groups received intravenous cisplatin (CDDP) or 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) v normal saline solution for the control. Animals from each group were randomly selected and killed on days 3, 5, and 7 postimplantation. The chambers were retrieved, the media aspirated, and cells counted. Exponential growth curves were derived for the control and treatment groups. Statistically significant growth inhibition was observed for both treatment arms, compared with controls. This method of chemosensitivity testing proved to be inexpensive and reliable, and demonstrated tumor cell killing by 5-FU and CDDP.

Cyclosporine and murine allergic contact dermatitis.

Cyclosporine is a new antilymphocytic, immunosuppressive agent currently being used primarily in experimental and human organ transplantation. The current study evaluated the effect of systemically administered cyclosporine on a cutaneous T-cell-mediated disorder by using the murine model of allergic contact dermatitis to dinitrofluorobenzene. Cyclosporine was found to significantly inhibit the ear swelling response, whether the drug was given during the early sensitization period or at the time of antigenic challenge to fully sensitized mice. This suppressive effect was reversible when mice were rechallenged with dinitrofluorobenzene 96 hours after the first challenge. Cyclosporine was not effective if given to sensitized animals as late as six hours after challenge. Lastly, the observed inhibition of the ear swelling response to cyclosporine closely paralleled a diminished degree of inflammation seen histopathologically.