Selective inhibition of thymidine transport at low doses of the alkylating agents triethyleneiminobenzoquinone (Trenimon)

The alkylating antitumor agent triethyleneiminobenzoquinone (Trenimon) causes a rapid decrease in the incorporation of labeled thymidine into the DNA of Yoshida or Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. The effect is expressed 4 h after administration of 6 × 10⁻⁸ moles/kg of the drug to mice bearing Yoshida ascites tumors or of 6 × 10⁻⁷ moles/kg to Ehrlich ascites tumor-bearing animals, respectively. The reduced incorporation of labeled thymidine which is observed under these conditions is not due to an inhibition of DNA synthesis. DNA synthesis was measured by an isotope dilution assay after pulse-labeling with ³H-thymidine and by monitoring the increase in the total amount of DNA of the cell populations. The data demonstrate that DNA synthesis is not affected during the first 8 h after exposure to the drug. This conclusion is supported by cell kinetic measurements which indicate that the alkylating agent does not interfere with the progression of cells into the S phase, but exerts a block at the G 2 stage of the cell cycle. The reduced incorporation of thymidine into DNA is explained by a decreased transport of the nucleoside into the cells.