Potentiation of cytotoxicity of anticancer agents by several different polyene antibiotics.

The ability of several different polyenes to potentiate the cytotoxicity of carmustine, lomustine (LOM), and doxorubicin (DX) against AKR mouse leukemia was quantitated. All polyenes could potentiate the cytotoxicity of the anticancer agents; however, the methyl ester derivatives of the heptaenes amphotericin B and candicidin and the triene trienine were most effective with potentiations in the order of ten thousandfold for DX and LOM. A steep dose-response relationship for the polyenes was also noted. Neither the toxicity of the polyenes nor their level of potentiation could be correlated with structure or class.