PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - E Marchi
AU  - FS Vargas
AU  - LR Teixeira
AU  - DJ Fagundes
AU  - LM Silva
AU  - AO Carmo
AU  - RW Light
TI  - Comparison of nitrogen mustard, cytarabine and dacarbazine as pleural sclerosing agents in rabbits
AID  - 10.1183/09031936.97.10030598
DP  - 1997 Mar 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - 598--602
VI  - 10
IP  - 3
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/10/3/598.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/10/3/598.full
SO  - Eur Respir J1997 Mar 01; 10
AB  - We have previously shown that the intrapleural injection of mitozantrone but not bleomycin resulted in pleural fibrosis. Mechlorethamine hydrochloride (nitrogen mustard) was used extensively in the past to control malignant effusions, with relatively good success. The objective of this study was to determine if the intrapleural injection of nitrogen mustard would produce pleural sclerosis in our experimental model in rabbits. We therefore evaluated sclerosing capabilities of nitrogen mustard as well as those of cytarabine and dacarbazine. Nitrogen mustard (0.4 and 0.8 mg x kg(-1)), cytarabine (3, 6 and 20 mg x kg(-1)) and dacarbazine (4, 8 and 20 mg x kg(-1)) were instilled intrapleurally into anaesthetized rabbits. Twenty eight days after the instillation, the animals were killed, and the pleural spaces were assessed grossly for evidence of pleurodesis and microscopically for evidence of fibrosis and inflammation. The intrapleural injection of 0.8 mg x kg(-1) nitrogen mustard was effective in creating pleural fibrosis, either grossly or microscopically. The mean degree (scale 0-4) of gross pleurodesis in the rabbits that received 0.8 mg x kg(-1) nitrogen mustard was 3.2+/-1.0 and the mean degree of microscopic pleural fibrosis was 3.5+/-0.8. The intrapleural injection of 0.4 mg x kg(-1) nitrogen mustard and the different doses of cytarabine (3, 6 and 20 mg x kg(-1)) and dacarbazine (4, 8 and 20 mg x kg(-1)) were ineffective in producing pleurodesis. From this study, we conclude that the intrapleural injection of 0.8 mg x kg(-1) of nitrogen mustard produces clinically significant pleurodesis in rabbits. Consideration should be given to future clinical studies utilizing 0.6-0.8 mg x kg(-1) nitrogen mustard intrapleurally for the treatment of malignant pleural effusion.