Abstract
The present paper is concerned with mitokinetic and cytokinetic action of two auxins — Kinetin and indolacetic acid — on «in vitro » cultures of normal animal cells (heart fibroblasts of chick embryo), and of neoplastic cells (from ascites Walker adenocarcinoma of the rat).
The «in vitro » cultures were kept into contact with Kinetin doses ranging between 0.0005 and 0.001 γ/ml for normal tissues, and between 0.001 and 1 γ/ml for neoplastic cells.
Indolacetic acid was used in doses ranging between 0.00005 and 0.0005 γ/ml for normal cells, and between 0.0005 and 0.05 γ/ml for neoplastic cells.
Consideration has been given to the growth properties of the cultures, to the frequency of mitoses, and to the content in nucleic acids determined by the histochemical method and by the orange-acridin in U.V. light method.
It has been demonstrated that Kinetin, even at low doses, exerts an inhibitory action on the heart fibroblasts growth, with considerable cytitoxic action and partial inhibition of the mitotic activity. Indolacetic acid did not show any cytotoxic action, and failed to demonstrate any cyto- and mitokinetic activity.
Experiments carried out with the association of both auxins in suitable dosage showed a prevailing cytotoxic action of Kinetin, and were not able to demonstrate a mitotic activity.
In addition, the single or associate administration of the two auxins did not influence the DNA synthesis in normal cells.
In «in vitro» cultures of cells from ascites Walker adenocarcinoma an early and constant mitokinetic activity has been demonstrated by Kinetin and indolacetic acid as well. Cytotoxic activity was absent, even at high concentrations. No synergic action was shown by the two auxins.
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