[Antimetastatic effect of a liposome-enclosed analog of muramyl dipeptide]

The influence of a new, liposome-encapsulated muramyldipeptide analog--GMDP--on Lewis lung carcinoma spreading was studied in mice in which primary tumor had been removed. The drug was found to significantly decrease the extent and number of lung metastases, as compared to mice which had not received GMDP. This was matched by recovery of alveolar and splenic macrophages functional activity, as assessed by adenosine deaminase and 5'-nucleotidase levels in these cells.