The effect of rutin-N-mustard on the survival of NK/Ly ascites tumour-bearing mice.

A newly synthetized rutin derivative, rutin-N-mustard, showed a marked antiproliferative effect on NK/Ly ascites tumour cells in vivo. When administered i.p. or i.v., this compound increased the survival time of the animals, but oral administration had no such effect. The drug was not able to kill the tumour cells, since the chromium release from the rutin-N-mustard-treated tumour cells was the same as in the case of the controls. Tumour growth was completely inhibited in the animals when the cells were pretreated with 100 mg/kg rutin-N-mustard before transplantation. The results also showed that rutin-N-mustard has little effect on the xenogenization of NK/Ly tumour cells. We presume that the antiproliferative action of rutin-N-mustard is due to its alkylating activity.