[In vivo antitumor activity of mitoxantrone and the flow cytometric analysis of its influence on cell cycle transition--comparison with doxorubicin and aclarubicin on ascitic hepatoma AH109A cells].

Mitoxantrone was compared with doxorubicin and aclarubicin of its in vivo antitumor activity and influence on cell cycle transition by use of rat ascitic hepatoma AH109A. Antitumor activity determined by the cell growth curve was similar in mitoxantrone and doxorubicin, but the sensitivity of AH109A to aclarubicin was lower than that to the other two drugs. Doxorubicin and mitoxantrone showed all phase arrests with 1/10 of maximally tolerated dose (MTD), and with lower concentrations a strong arrest at G2 phase was observed, thus, mitoxantrone appeared to have a similar antitumor activity on AH109A to that of doxorubicin. Aclarubicin, with 1/10 MTD, demonstrated only a transient arrest at G2 phase, cells arrested at G2 phase entering into the next phase. With below 1/10 MTD, there was no appearance on histograms, and the influence on AH109A cell cycle transition by aclarubicin was considered to be little in comparison with doxorubicin and mitoxantrone.