Inhibition of experimental and spontaneous pulmonary metastasis of murine RCT (+) sarcoma by beta-cyclodextrin-benzaldehyde.

The effect of beta-cyclodextrin-benzaldehyde (CDBA) on pulmonary metastasis in C3H/He mice was examined. In experimental metastasis that was induced by iv injection of 1 X 10(6) RCT (+) cells, the highest inhibition was observed in the mice that were treated daily with CDBA (5 mg/day) for 1 week before tumor cell inoculation and further treated for 3 weeks after inoculation, when compared with those in other experimental groups that were given only pretreatment or posttreatment. The inhibitory effect was dose-dependent. In spontaneous metastasis that was induced by sc injection of 3 X 10(6) RCT (+) cells, the inhibition of metastasis was also observed in the mice treated with CDBA (5 mg/day) in the same manner as described above. However, the development of the primary tumor was not inhibited. CDBA-treated tumor-bearing mice showed almost as much NK activity as normal mice. Furthermore, although injection of 5-fluorouracil suppressed this activity to about 50% of that in normal mice, the combined treatment with CDBA could maintain the NK cell activity at the normal level. The results suggested that the inhibition of pulmonary metastasis might be induced by a combined effect of CDBA; that is, the direct inhibition of tumors and the maintenance of NK cell activity.