Effect of Actinomycin D on Tissue Cultures of Normal and Neoplastic Cells23

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, but both showed marked reduction in mitosis. 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.