Adenosine Triphosphate Levels in Mouse Blood after Whole—Body Irradiation and During Tumor Growth. ∗

Abstract

Summary

No changes were observed in the blood levels of total nucleotide or of adenylic acid, adenosine diphosphate, or adenosine triphosphate during the wasting period that follows whole—body X-ray irradiation of mice. Massive injected doses of ATP failed to induce overt symptoms of shock in mice.

In mice bearing implanted tumors there is a continuous decrease in blood adenosine triphosphate until about the 10th post—implantation day, followed thereafter for several days by a slight but significant rise in the ATP curve. The first phase of this curve parallels, on the time scale, the increase in tumor weight. Mice whose tumors were extirpated at stated intervals after implantation show a tendency to return to the normal ATP blood level. There is no apparent relation between changes in ATP blood levels and body weight, cell—fluid ratio in the blood, or hemoglobin, at least up to the 10th post—implantation day. No significant changes were observed in the total nucleotide values for blood during tumor growth; nor was the adenylic acid or the adenosine diphosphate picture different from that of normal mice.