Alteration of the systemic antitumor activity of melphalan by sodium cyanate in MOPC-460D myeloma-bearing BALB/c mice.

Sodium cyanate is a selective inhibitor of protein synthesis in a variety of mammalian tumor cells without a corresponding effect on normal tissue of the tumor-bearing animals. In the present study, we investigated the potential role of sodium cyanate in the augmentation of the antitumor activity of melphalan in MOPC-460D myeloma-bearing BALB/c mice. The simultaneous intraperitoneal injection of sodium cyanate, 250 mg/kg, and melphalan, 12 mg/kg, followed by another dose of sodium cyanate, 200 mg/kg, administered 18 hours later, resulted in a tumor growth inhibition index (TGII) of 207%. In contrast, melphalan or sodium cyanate administered separately at the same dose induced a TGII of 133% and 15%, respectively, when compared to control animals. Furthermore, a direct comparison of the volume of tumor implants in mice treated with the combination of sodium cyanate and melphalan vs. those treated with melphalan alone showed a statistically significant growth inhibition in favor of the sodium cyanate and melphalan combination on days 35, 39, and 42 from initiation of treatment. The data presented here suggest that the antitumor activity of melphalan could be increased, with moderate toxicity, by the concomitant intraperitoneal administration of sodium cyanate in BALB/c mice bearing measurable subcutaneous MOPC-460D tumor transplants. This is the first report of an increase in melphalan antitumor activity by sodium cyanate at a tumor location distant from the site of injection.