[MCNU effectiveness on brain tumor. Part I: Antitumor activity in vitro on human glioma and neuroblastoma cell lines].

A new water-soluble nitrosourea ( MCNU ) was tested for its antitumor activity against fourteen human glioma cell lines and two neuroblastoma cell lines. Four experiments were performed to determine its antitumor activity: inhibition of cell growth, comparison with ACNU, morphological observation, and analysis of DNA histogram with flowcytometry . Seven out of 14 gliomas (50%) and one neuroblastoma cell lines showed more than 50% inhibition of cell growth in vitro, appearance of giant multinucleated cell morphologically, and DNA accumulation in G2+M and/or S phase of cell cycle in the medium of 10 micrograms/ml MCNU . Antitumor activity and spectrum of MCNU against human brain tumors were almost the same as with ACNU.