Metabolic pool of purine compounds in erythrocytes of mice during growth of transplanted tumors

: The pattern of purine derivatives was studied in the erythrocytes of C3HA and ICR mice during Hepatoma 22 and Ehrlich ascites tumor cells growth. Host erythrocytes purine nucleotides, nucleosides and bases were affected by the implanted tumors. The results indicated that the host erythrocytes markedly concentrated adenine and guanine nucleotides on the 5th and 11th-12th day of tumor growth. By contrast, content of nucleosides and bases were sharply decreased during the log growth phase (5th day) with the restoring of these precursors within the 11th-12th day (plateau phase). These observations indicate that aspects of the purine compounds metabolism in host erythrocytes are linked with tumor development.