Antitumor activity of 1-nitro-9-aminoacridines including nitracrine against some ascitic experimental tumors

The antitumor activity of a few 1-nitro-9-aminoacridine derivatives including nitracrine was evaluated against ascitic forms of murine tumors: Ehrlich carcinoma. Walker carcinosarcoma 256, and leukemia L1210. The studied compounds exhibited significant activity against ascitic Ehrlich carcinoma and very high activity against Walker carcinosarcoma. Leukemia L1210 on mice was not sensitive to the 1-nitro derivatives studied. On the basis of these results and the results reported earlier the following, specific biological properties exhibited by the derivatives studied were discussed: a) high activity against HeLa S3 and L1210 cells in vitro, but lack of activity against mice leukemia L1210; b) significant activity against some experimental and clinical tumors but not against leukemias, and c) lack of mammalian myelotoxicity.