Metabolism of purine and pyrimidine compounds in erythrocytes of tumor-bearing mice.

The pattern of purine and pyrimidine derivatives was studied in the erythrocytes of C3HA and ICR mice during Hepatoma 22 and Ehrlich ascites tumor cell growth. Concentrations of purine nucleotides, nucleosides and nucleobases of host erythrocytes were changed after the implantation of the tumors. The host erythrocytes markedly concentrated adenine and guanine nucleotides both during logarithmic and plateau phase of tumor growth (5th and 11-12th days after inoculation of the tumor). The contents of nucleosides and nucleobases in the red blood cells were decreased during the logarithmic growth phase but restored within the plateau phase.