Carcinogen-induced nuclear enlargement in cultures of rat tracheal primary epithelial cells.
Toxicol In Vitro 1991;
5:15-30. [PMID:
20731994 DOI:
10.1016/0887-2333(91)90044-e]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/1989] [Revised: 05/24/1990] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Rat tracheal epithelial cells were cultured for 72 hr and then exposed for 3 hr to a range of test chemicals, including non-carcinogens, and direct-acting and activation-dependent carcinogens. The cells were then washed and cultured in fresh medium without the test chemicals for a further 24, 72 or 120 hr. Nuclear size measurements were then made. At 72 and 120 hr after exposure, those cultures treated with the non-carcinogens pyrene and anthracene had distributions of nuclear area similar to those of the solvent controls. All cultures treated with activation dependent carcinogens (N-nitrosopyrrolidine, N-nitrosodimethylamine, benzo[a]pyrene, dimethylbenz[a]anthracene or 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide) or direct-acting carcinogens (nitrogen mustard or methylmethanesulphonate) showed a shift in distributions to the right, indicating enlarged nuclei. These results indicate that carcinogen-induced nuclear enlargement can occur in cultures of rat primary tracheal epithelial cells, and that this may be a useful indicator system for respiratory carcinogens.
Collapse