Antitumor effect of oxycellulose as a hemostatic during operation.

Oxycellulose, a hemostatic agent used in operation showed antitumor effect in vitro on a murine hepatic cell carcinoma (MH 134), a murine fibrosarcoma (Meth A) and a murine colon carcinoma (Colon 26). The effect was also confirmed in vivo by the survival of mice inoculated with Meth A or MH 134. Eighty milligrams per mouse of this agent, however, showed a toxicity rather than an antitumor effect. The antitumor effect of oxycellulose on Meth A did not compare with that of etoposide or mitomycin C in vivo. The antitumor effect on MH 134 was equal to that of etoposide but not mitomycin C. Oxycellulose inhibited tritium thymidine uptake into Colon 26 cells to the same extent as 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin C and it caused 51Cr-labelled Colon 26 cells but not from 5-fluorouracil or mitomycin C. Oxycellulose decreased a larger number of viable tumor cells than 5-fluorouracil or mitomycin C when the tumor cells were incubated for 24 hours at 37 degrees C. DNA histogram with MH 134 cells showed oxycellulose decreased a ratio of tumor cells in S-phase. These results suggest that the antitumor effect of oxycellulose is cytocidal and phase-specific.