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. 1976 May;33(5):485–490. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1976.78

Metronidazole (Flagyl): characterization as a cytotoxic drug specific for hypoxic tumour cells.

J L Foster, P J Conroy, A J Searle, R L Willson
PMCID: PMC2024956  PMID: 1276030

Abstract

The cytocidal properties of metronidazole against hypoxic mammalian cells are described. This chemotherapeutic action has been shown to be dependent on drug concentration and duration of exposure. The x-ray TCD50 for a murine anaplastic carcinoma was reduced from 6081 rad to 4643 rad when animals were given metronidazole orally for 36 h before radiation treatment. The effect is attributed to the direct killing of hypoxic tumour cells by a mechanism analogous to that proposed for the action of the drug on anaerobic micro-organisms. It is concluded that further work with metronidazole as a cytotoxin specific for hypoxic cells is warranted, particularly in view of the reported lack of toxicity associated with the preliminary clinical use of the drug as a radiosensitizer in man.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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