ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF ATP DEPLETION TO CHEMOTHERAPEUTICALLY-INDUCED TUMOR-REGRESSION

A positive correlation was found between increasing ATP depletion and enhanced tumor-regressing activity by combining PMA, a three drug comb ination (PALA, MMPR+6-AN), with FUra, or Adria, or FUra+Adria. For exa mple, at 48 h post treatment, ATP was 68% of saline controls with a 10 % tumor regression rate (PMA); ATP was 55% with a 60% regression rate (PMA+FUra); ATP was 54% with an 80% regression rate (PMA+Adria); and A TP was 30% with a;100% regression rate (PMA+FUra+Adria). The results g ive support to the suggestion that ATP depletion may be a significant factor in the production of chemotherapeutically-induced apoptosis.