Effect of Actinomycin D on Tissue Cultures of Normal and Neoplastic Cells

Abstract

Actinomycin D produced a range of nonspecific cytotoxic changes in human neoplastic and normal primary tissue cultures.

Neoplastic primary cultures were generally more sensitive to the action of actinomycin D than normal primary cultures, as judged by their cytological changes. On the other hand, both showed marked reduction in mitosis.

Both neoplastic and normal established cell strains showed only mild sensitivity to the same concentrations of actinomycin D that damaged primary cultures. Sensitivity was indicated by an increase in the number of aberrant metaphases. There were relatively fewer aberrant metaphases in treated HeLa cultures as compared with conjunctiva and kidney cultures.

A selective response to actinomycin D has been shown to exist among the primary cultures included in this study. In view of these observations further study of the use of primary cultures for evaluating the in vitro effects of a potential chemotherapeutic agent is suggested.