Effect of 1-(4-amino-2-methyl-5-pyrimidinyl)methyl-3-(2-chloroethyl)-3-nitrosourea hydrochloride on experimental brain tumors.

permits easy passage across the blood-brain barrier. Others have argued that since brain tumors do not possess a blood brain barrier, the lipid solubility of the nitrosoureas can play no robein their therapeutic effectiveness. We have tested ACNU, a water-soluble nitrosourea, for its chemotherapeutic effect in several animal brain tumor models and have compared ACNU to other more lipid-soluble nitrosoureas. Two different models of brain tumors were used in the study. The first is a munine glioma implanted i.c. in mice, and the second is a recently developed metastatic brain tumor model in rats. In the second model, direct trauma to the brain (and therefore to the blood brain barrier) was avoided by inoculation of tumor.cells into the carotid artery.