Experimental solid tumour activity of N-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-acridine-4-carboxamide.

N-[2-(Dimethylamino)ethyl]acridine-4-carboxamide (DACA), a DNA intercalator that exerts its antitumour action through the enzyme topoisomerase II, has previously been shown to be curative against the transplantable Lewis lung adenocarcinoma growing as lung tumour nodules in mice. On the basis of this finding as well as its high in vitro activity against multidrug-resistant cell lines, DACA has been chosen for clinical trial under the auspices of the Cancer Research Campaign, United Kingdom. In the present study the activity of DACA was assessed against advanced (5-mm diameter) s.c. colon 38 adenocarcinomas in BDF1 mice using tumour-growth delay as an end point. Its activity was found to be related positively to the total dose given and negatively to the total duration of the dose schedule. Adoption of a split-dose i.p. administration schedule or slow i.v. infusion allowed the administration of large doses without toxicity. The activity of DACA was comparable with that of 5-fluorouracil and superior to that of doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide and the experimental amsacrine analogue CI-921. Mitoxantrone, amsacrine, etoposide, teniposide and daunorubicin showed minimal activity. DACA also demonstrated significant activity against the NZM3 melanoma human cell line growing as a xenograft in athymic mice.