Effects of the radiosensitising agent nicotinamide on relative tissue perfusion and kidney function in C3H mice

Nicotinamide is an effective radiosensitiser of murine tumours, functioning by improving tumour perfusion by decreasing the proportion of intermittently closed capillaries. The effect of nicotinamide on relative tissue perfusion of RIF-1 tumour and normal skin, muscle, lung, liver, kidney and spleen were investigated using the 86Rb extraction technique. A dose of 1000 mg/kg was shown to have transient effects on tumour, skin and lung perfusion but to have sustained effects on muscle (a drop to 80% of control), liver, kidney and spleen (with increases ranging from 165% to 280% of control) from 0.5 to 4 h after treatment i.e. during the period of maximum radiosensitisation. These increases were evident at doses as low as 100 mg/kg. The data suggest that the radiosensitisation induced by nicotinamide in the mouse may be associated with these perfusion changes. Nicotinamide was also shown to have a substantial inhibitory effect on renal function, inhibiting 51CrEDTA clearance by a factor (+/- 2 SE) of 2.56 +/- 0.19 and 125I-iodohippurate clearance by a factor of 2.07 +/- 0.45 at 1000 mg/kg. These effects were shown to be dose-related, and to be evident at doses from 400 mg/kg upwards. This suggests that nicotinamide potentiation of co-administered cytotoxic agents may be mediated by reduced renal clearance of the cytotoxic drug, thus increasing the plasma half-life.