Cytophotometric analysis of the nuclear uptake of adriamycin in in vivo normal mouse liver and kidney cells.

Adriamycin levels are usually determined in biologic samples (tissue homogenates) by means of spectrophotofluorimetric procedures. After intravenous administration of a pharmacologic dose of Adriamycin to 21 female Swiss mice, the fluorescence released from the nuclei of single liver and kidney cells was determined by cytofluorimetric measurements on 3,916 in-vivo-treated liver cells and 1,472 in-vivo-treated kidney cells. Similar measurements were made on 287 untreated (control) liver cells and 288 untreated kidney cells as well as on 541 liver cells and 773 kidney cells stained in vitro with acriflavine. The results indicate that (1) it is possible to quantitatively evaluate the nuclear uptake of Adriamycin in in vivo single cells by cytofluorimetry, (2) the pharmacokinetics of Adriamycin can be evaluated on the cellular level and (3) Adriamycin can be considered a fluorochrome suitable for in vivo staining of cell nuclei as can acriflavine for the in vitro staining of cell nuclei.