Effect of 1,2,5,6-Dibenzanthracene on Fusarium lini.

Abstract

In addition to being able to initiate malignant growth, the carcinogenic hydrocarbons have been shown to stimulate cell division of certain microörganisms. Since it has been postulated that cancer may be associated with an abnormal glucose metabolism, it was thought of interest to study the effect of a typical carcinogenic hydrocarbon on the growth and glucose utilization of Fusarium lini. This fungus has been shown to grow well on a medium composed of mineral salts and glucose as the only source of carbon producing a typical alcoholic fermentation. 1

The carcinogenic hydrocarbon selected for this study was 1,2,5,6-dibenzanthracene. The culture medium had the following composition:

Since in preliminary tests the above hydrocarbon had no effect on the growth of Fusarium lini grown on the above medium, it was felt that this might be due to the low solubility of the hydrocarbon in the medium. Therefore in the work here reported a water-soluble oxidation product of the hydrocarbon was used. This was prepared by a method similar to that of Boyland and Boyland 2 as follows:

A solution containing 0.123 gm. of 1, 2, 5, 6-dibenzanthracene, dissolved in a small amount of anhydrous benzene, was exposed for 1 1/4 hours to the rays from a mercury arc ultraviolet light source. The solution was exposed directly to the light by being placed in a thin layer in one-half of a large Petri dish. From time to time benzene was added to replace that lost by evaporation. Finally the benzene was evaporated and the residue irradiated for 15 minutes. This residue was then extracted with several small portions of water, the washings filtered and the volume made up to 100 cc. This extract was used in the subsequent work.