Positive interactive radiosensitisation in vitro with the combination of two nucleoside analogues,...

(E)-2'-Deoxy-2'-(fluoromethylene) cytidine (FMdC), an inhibitor of ribonucleotide diphosphate reductase (RR), is a potent radiation-sensitiser acting through alterations in the deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) pool in the de novo pathway to DNA synthesis. The activity of thymidine kinase (TK), a key enzyme in the 'salvage pathway', is known to increase in response to a lowering of dATP induced by FMdC. Nucleoside analogues such as iododeoxyuridine (IdUrd) are incorporated into DNA after phosphorylation by TK. Radiation sensitisation by IdUrd depends on IdUrd incorporation. Therefore, we have investigated the radiosensitising effect of the combination of FMdC and IdUrd on WiDr (a human colon cancer cell-line) and compared it to the effect of either drug alone. We analysed the effects of FMdC and IdUrd on the dNTP pools by high-performance liquid chromatography, and measured whether the incorporation of IdUrd was increased by FMdC using a [(125)I]-IdUrd incorporation assay. The combination in vitro yielded radiation-sensitiser enhancement ratios of >2, significantly higher than those observed with FMdC or IdUrd alone. Isobologram analysis of the combination indicated a supra-additive effect. This significant increase in radiation sensitivity with the combination of FMdC and IdUrd could not be explained by changes in the dNTP pattern since the addition of IdUrd to FMdC did not further reduce the dATP. However, the increase in the radiation sensitivity of WiDr cells might be due to increased incorporation of IdUrd after FMdC treatment. Indeed, a specific and significant incorporation of IdUrd into DNA could be observed with the [(125)I]-IdUrd incorporation assay in the presence of 1 microM unlabelled IdUrd when combined with FMdC treatment.