Disposition of leucovorin and its metabolites in the plasma, intestinal epithelium, and intraperitoneal L1210 cells of methotrexate-pretreated mice

Leucovorin (LV or 5-CHOFH4) has had long-standing clinical use as a rescue agent from the systemic toxic effects of methotrexate (MTX). Because the mouse has been the animal model most used to investigate MTX therapy, direct tissue assessment of LV and its reduced-folate metabolites was undertaken in the plasma, intestinal epithelium, and intraperitoneal L1210 cells of MTX-pretreated mice using a ternary-complex-based assay method. The results show that total folate accumulation and depletion in tissues is closely related to plasma levels, with somewhat greater persistence occurring in tissues, presumably due to polyglutamylation. Examination of individual folates in plasma showed that the combined 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate (CH2FH4) plus tetrahydrofolate (FH4) pool was the most extensively elevated pool other than that of the parent compound [S]-5-formyltetrahydrofolate ([S]-5-CHOFH4). The dihydrofolate (FH2) also became elevated, whereas the 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-CH3FH4) remained unchanged. Individual folates that were elevated in tissues were generally the same as those elevated in plasma, the exception being a significant accumulation of 10-formyltetrahydrofolate (10-CHOFH4) in both intestinal epithelial and L1210 cells. The elevation of FH2 in L1210 cells was greater and persisted longer than that in intestinal epithelium, whereas the opposite was true for CH2FH4 + FH4. This differential effect in tumor versus epithelial tissue is consistent with the selective rescue of normal tissue by LV.