Chemical xenogenization of murine lymphoma cells with triazene derivatives: immunotoxicological studies.

Equitoxic doses of 5-(3-3-dimethyl-1-triazeno)imidazole-4-carboxamide (DTIC) and aryl-triazene derivatives (compounds all capable of inducing a marked increase in murine tumor cell immunogenicity) were studied for their effects on the host immune system. At different times after drug exposure the animals were tested for allograft responses, competence in producing lymphocytes active in lethal graft-versus-host disease, delayed-type hypersensitivity, humoral antibody production, and mitogen responsiveness. While some of the aryl-triazenes tested (DM-COOK DM-NO2) showed a pattern of immunodepression similar to that of DTIC, others were less (MIC, MM-COOK, MM-Cl) or far less (DM-Cl, MM-NO2) active than DTIC in impairing host immunocompetence, although all retained or even augmented their ability to induce chemical xenogenization.