An interaction between bleomycin and human serum. The reaction of Ehrlich cells and Triticum plant roots to some antineoplastic drugs alone and in combination with human serum.

In two growth tests, one employing EHRLICH ascites tumor cells in suspension culture, the other employing intact roots of wheat (Triticum sativum Lam), the growth inhibiting action of bleomycin (BLM) was shown to be intensified by human serum. Practical consequences of the finding are suggested. No such serum-drug interaction has been demonstrated with other anti-tumor compounds, including methotrexate (MTX) and threosulphan (TRSF). Isolation of the active factor(s) in serum has not yet been attempted.