SELECTIVE-INHIBITION BY BENZALDEHYDE OF THE UPTAKE OF NUCLEOSIDES AND SUGAR INTO SIMIAN VIRUS-40-TRANSFORMED CELLS

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  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 40  (7) , 2574-2579
Abstract
The effects of benzaldehyde, a carcinostatic element, were studied on the uptake of nucleosides, 2-deoxy-D-glucose and amino acids into SV 40-transformed rat fibroblast cells and into the parent normal cells. Benzaldehyde, at concentrations of 25-100 .mu.g/ml at which the selective growth inhibition against SV40-transformed cells was revealed, markedly inhibited the uptake of thymidine, other nucleosides and 2-deoxy-D-glucose into SV40-transformed cells without any significant inhibition of the uptake of these compounds into normal cells. The uptake of amino acids into transformed and normal cells was not inhibited by benzaldehyde. Selectively cytotoxic benzaldehyde-related compounds such as 4-nitrobenzaldehyde, 4-acetaminobenzaldehyde, thiophene-3-carboxaldehyde, etc., showed a similar inhibitory effect on thymidine uptake. The deprivation of glucose from the incubation medium strikingly diminished the inhibitory effect of benzaldehyde on the uptake of thymidine and 2-deoxy-D-glucose into SV40-transformed cells. The intracellular ATP level of SV40-transformed cells was reduced to < 1/2 by treatment with benzaldehyde (50 .mu.g/ml) in glucose-containing medium. This effect was not observed in glucose-free medium. Treatment with benzaldehyde caused no change of the intracellular ATP level of normal cells. The selective cytotoxicity of benzaldehyde was attributed to the reduction of intracellular ATP level of transformed cells, accompanied by the poor uptake of thymidine, glucose, etc., into SV40-transformed cells.