Long-Term Infusions of p-Boronophenylalanine for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy: Evaluation Using Rat Brain Tumor and Spinal Cord Models

Abstract Morris, G. M., Micca, P. L., Nawrocky, M. M., Weissfloch, L. E. and Coderre, J. A. Long-Term Infusions of p-Boronophenylalanine for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy: Evaluation Using Rat Brain Tumor and Spinal Cord Models. Radiat. Res. 158, 743–752 (2002). Rat 9L gliosarcoma cells infiltrating the normal brain have been shown previously to accumulate only ∼30% as much boron as the intact tumor after administration of the boronated amino acid p-boronophenylalanine (BPA). Long-term i.v. infusions of BPA were shown previously to increase the boron content of these infiltrating tumor cells significantly. Experiments to determine whether this improved BPA distribution into infiltrating tumor cells after a long-term i.v. infusion improves tumor control after BNCT in this brain tumor model and whether it has any deleterious effects in the response of the rat spinal cord to BNCT are the subjects of the present report. BPA was administered in a fructose solution at a dose of 650 mg BPA/kg by single i.p. inje...