[Effect of the antibiotic variamycin on the growth of a rabbit brain tumor]

Abstract

The effect of variamycin, an antibiotic of the group of aureolic acid on development of dedifferentiated astrocytoma of the brain was studied on rabbits. The antibiotic was administered intraperitoneally in a dose of 0.1 mg/kg daily for 6 days. The interval between the 6-day courses was 7 days. The results were estimated by changes in duration of the latent period of the tumor development in comparison to those in the controls. One course of the treatment with variamycin started late after the tumor transplantation, i. e. on the 18th day, resulted in an increase in the latent period duration by 25.7 per cent. Starting of the treatment with the antibiotic on the 6th day after the tumor transplantation resulted in an increase in the latent period duration by up to 69 or 74 per cent with the use of 2 or 3 treatment courses, respectively. The histological examination revealed pronounced dystrophic changes or complete resorption of the tumor tissue due to variamycin effect.