Effects of allopurinol on the therapeutic efficacy of methotrexate.

The antitumor effects of methotrexate against early leukemia L1210 were partially reversed by the coadministration of allopurinol in vivo, even though allopurinol did not alter the growth-inhibitory effects of methotrexate against L1210 cells in culture. These data suggest that this alteration in antitumor activity results from a decreased catabolism of preformed systemic purines by allopurinol, a potent inhibitor of xanthine oxidase. On the other hand, the therapeutic effect of methotrexate against the P288 leukemia was not significantly altered by allopurinol did not significantly alter the toxicity of methotrexate that, in the mouse, the antileukemic effects of methotrexate are more related to a purineless rather than a thymineless death.