Enhancement of radiation effects by acyclovir

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pharmacology
• Radiotherapy

Background:

• Acyclovir (ACV) is an established antiviral drug.
• Investigating novel applications for existing drugs can accelerate clinical translation.
• Radiosensitizers are crucial for improving the efficacy of radiation therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the radiosensitizing potential of Acyclovir (ACV) in vivo.
• To determine the efficacy of ACV in enhancing tumor response to radiation therapy.

Main Methods:

• In vivo studies using Sarcoma-180 (S-180) and FM3A tumor models in mice.
• Administration of ACV at various doses (20-400 mg/kg) relative to irradiation.
• Assessment of radiosensitivity using tumor growth delay and tumor cure (TCD50) assays.

Main Results:

• Acyclovir significantly enhanced the radiosensitivity of both S-180 and FM3A tumors.
• An enhancement ratio of approximately 2.0 was observed in S-180 tumors with 400 mg/kg ACV.
• An enhancement ratio of approximately 1.3 was observed in FM3A tumors with 20 mg/kg ACV.

Conclusions:

• Acyclovir demonstrates significant radiosensitizing effects on tumors in vivo.
• The findings suggest that ACV could be a valuable adjunct to radiotherapy.
• Clinical application of ACV in combination with radiation therapy warrants further investigation.