The effect of glucose and temperature on the in vivo efficiency of photochemotherapy with meso-tetra-hydroxyphenyl-chlorin

Balb/c athymic nude mice bearing WiDr human colon adenocarcinoma have been employed to investigate the effect of glucose administration, cooling or sl ight heating on the anti-tumor activity of photochemotherapy (PCT) with mes o-tetra-hydroxyphenyl-chlorin (mTHPC). An apparent delay in the tumor growt h is found by combining PCT with either single or multiple injections of gl ucose. The anti-tumor effect of PCT is slightly enhanced by cooling the tum or to 5 degrees C. Cooling also enhances the efficiency of PCT and glucose injection combined. Heating the tumor to 37 degrees C has no significant ef fect on either PCT alone or on the combination of PCT and glucose injection . Furthermore, the kinetics of the accumulation of mTHPC in tissue have bee n studied. Single or multiple injections of glucose have an enhancing effec t on the accumulation of mTHPC in the tumor. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.