Effects of ethylene glycol monomethyl (EGME) and monoethyl (EGEE) ethers on the immunocompetence of allogeneic and syngeneic mice bearing L1210 mouse leukemia.

The effect of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGME) and ethylene glycol monoethyl ether (EGEE) on cell-mediated immunity was evaluated by an allograft rejection assay. Allogeneic B6C3F1 (C57BL/6 X C3H) mice were given oral doses of 600, 1200, or 2400 mg/kg/administration of EGEE or 300, 600, 1200 mg/kg/administration of EGME on days -12 through -8 or cyclophosphamide (Cy) at 180 mg/kg by the IP route on day -1. Untreated controls were given oral doses of water on days -12 through -8 and -5 through -1. On day 0, the mice were challenged with 1 X 10(2), 3 X 10(3), and 1 X 10(5) or 3 X 10(6) L1210 cells by the IP route. Syngeneic CD2F1 (Balb/c X DBA/2) mice were challenged with 1 X 10(5) L1210 cells on day 0 and were treated on days 1 to 5 and 8 to 12 with the same dosages of EGME and EGEE used for the B6C3F1 mice. Water-treated syngeneic mice died with a median survival time (MST) of 8.0 days. There was no effect on the MST of syngeneic mice treated with either EGME or EGEE, indicating no direct antitumor effect of the compounds. All allogeneic mice receiving either water or Cy and challenged with 3 X 10(6) tumor cells, died with ascites. However, when mice were treated with EGME or EGEE and challenged with 3 X 10(6) tumor cells, no more than one animal per group died. This would indicate that there was a prophylactic action of the compounds or that the immune system was stimulated. Blood smears of allogeneic mice were made for differential counts the last day of drug dosing, the day of death where possible, and on survivors at day 43 post-tumor implantation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)