Correlation of mouse tissue distribution of arabinosylcytosine in vivo with enzymatic activities in vitro.

The distribution of arabinosylcytosine (ara-C) and its metabolites has been measured in the liver, small intestine, spleen, and kidney of mice inoculated ip 5-6 days earlier with L1210 leukemia cells. Two major metabolites were found in the tissues--the nucleotides and the deaminated inactive product, arabinosyluracil (ara-U). The decay curve of ara-C in most of these tissues was curvilinear; the ara-C half-lives estimated from the terminal phases were 8. 11, 12, and 12 hr for spleen, kidney, intestine, and liver tissues, respectively. The ara-C half-life was not correlated with the deoxycytidine deaminase activity in the tissues. However, the deaminase activity in vitro correlated well with the amount of ara-U present in vivo. Similar analyses were made for L1210 leukemic cells and ascites fluid. A high nucleotide level was found in the cells and a significant amount of nucleotides was also identifiable in the ascites fluid. The activities of deoxycytidine kinase, but not of deoxycytidine deaminase, in host tissues of mice inoculated with L1210 leukemic cells sensitive to ara-C were greater than in those of normal mice. The phosphorylating activities in vitro correlated with the amount of nucleotide present in vivo in mice bearing L1210 leukemic cells. However, the infiltration of leukemic cells containing high kinase activities into the host tissues accounted for most, if not all, of the nucleotide level in these tissues. This is further evidenced by the fact that inoculating mice with L1210 leukemic cells resistant to ara-C did not alter the kinase activity or nucleotide levels of the host tissues; these resistant cells contain negligible amounts of ara-C phosphorylating activities.