Effects of lipid association on lomustine (CCNU) administered intracerebrally to syngeneic 36B-10 rat brain tumors.

A syngeneic, intracerebral rat brain tumor model was developed and characterized and then used to evaluate the therapeutic enhancement of lipid-associated 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea (CCNU). The Fisher rat glioma cell 36B-10 (100,000-500,000 cells) was implanted intracranially to Fisher F-344 rats into the caudate nucleus. Animals treated with lipid-associated CCNU showed a 2- to 10-fold decrease in tumor size compared with animals treated with free CCNU, indicating that lipid association increases the therapeutic index of intracerebral CCNU treatment. Moreover, the syngeneic rat brain tumor model may be useful for evaluation of other therapeutic modalities.