Polyoxyethylene-modified superoxide dismutase reduces side effects of adriamycin and mitomycin C.

Polyoxyethylene-modified superoxide dismutase (SOD-POE) is a newly developed long-acting superoxide dismutase. Adriamycin (ADR) and mitomycin C (MMC) generate superoxide, which contributes to their cytocidal effects or side effects. We examined whether SOD-POE could prevent the side effects induced by superoxide generated by antitumor agents, and the following results were obtained. SOD-POE did not influence the antitumor effects of ADR and MMC either in vitro or in vivo, but prevented the toxic death of BALB/c, nu/nu male mice caused by overdoses of ADR or MMC. As for its effective sites, SOD-POE prevented a decrease in the specific activity of rotenone-sensitive NADH-ubiquinone oxido-reductase (complex I) in heart muscle mitochondrial respiratory chain function in BALB/c male mice administered 10 mg/kg ADR, and prevented damage to the sarcoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria of mouse heart muscle by ADR as observed by electron microscopy. Furthermore, SOD-POE prevented bone marrow suppression induced by MMC in Donryu rats. The above results suggest that combination chemotherapy with SOD-POE would make it possible to increase the maximum permissible doses of antitumor agents, improving the efficacy of these agents.