Abstract
Summary
The effect of 8 steroid hormones on 12 lines of human cells was studied in tissue culture. The steroids included estrogens, androgens, progestins, and hydrocortisone. The cell lines included amnion, epidermoid carcinomas, adenocarcinomas and sarcomas. Cytotoxic effects were not acute, but developed after several days if at all. No consistent relationship was apparent between minimum cytotoxic dose and endocrinologic characteristics of the steroids or type of cell. Testosterone and androsterone were toxic to most cell lines at 10 γ/ml. The ovarian and cervix adenocarcinoma cells were sensitive to most of the steroids at 10 γ/ml. Toxicity at 1.0 γ/ml was rare. Hydrocortisone at 2.5 to 10 γ/ml greatly extended the duration of good growth in cell lines HEp 1 and RPMI-41.
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