Abstract
Summary
Two cultured human glioblas-toma cell lines were exposed to graded doses of BCNU, and the sequential cytoxic and cytocidal changes were studied histolog-ically. Changes included cessation of mitotic activity, reduction in population, rounding and clumping of the cells, nuclear pyknosis, and cell death. The intensity of the changes was proportional to the dosage. With 3 daily doses of 18 μg/ml, the population in Tumor A-172 was only 20% of that in the controls, and 75% of the cells present appeared non-viable. This dosage is about four times that used in a single course in treating humans. After 3 doses at 60 μg/ml, cell death appeared complete, but transfer without additional treatment brought out 2-min foci of viable cells, with several mitoses. A more anaplastic glioblastoma, T98, was much less sensitive to BCNU, responding only by lowered population density, decreased mitoses and slight-to-moderate cytotoxicity in one experiment.
We would like to thank Annie Rue for her excellent assistance in culturing the cells.
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