Effect of antineoplastic drugs on cell proliferation--individually and in combination.

Three antineoplastic agents, bleomycin, cytosine arabinoside and 5-fluorouracil, were studied individually and in combination to determine their effectiveness in controlling cell growth in the presence of fetal bovine serum. All three drugs were effective individually in specifically controlling proliferation (as measured by 3H-thymidine uptake) of human Tenon's capsule fibroblasts while bleomycin is effective at the lowest concentration. However, bleomycin alone rather than in combination with cytosine arabinoside or 5-fluorouracil was most effective in preventing division by these fibroblasts.