Absorption of Antibiotics by Plant Cells

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Abstract
Cells of Nitella clavata were suspended in solutions of the antibiotics chloramphenicol 136 ug/ml, streptomycin 25 ug/ml and potassium penicillin G 128 ug/ml, all buffered with M/45 phosphate at pH 6.1. By cutting the ends of the alga cell, droplets of cell sap could be transferred to wet a 7 mm paper disk uniformly. These were assayed biologically against standardized disks with Bacillus subtilis as the test organism. Streptomycin was rapidly accumulated in the cell sap and in 12 min. equalled the external concn. After 18.5 hr. its concn. was more than 7 times that of the external solution. Accumulation was influenced by temp., pH and some respiratory inhibitors, which indicates active absorption. Chloramphenicol was detected in the cell sap only after a considerable period of exposure (8 hr.) and penicillin was not found in the sap of cells treated for 25 hours.