COMPUTER-ASSISTED MICROSCOPE CHARACTERIZATION OF BCNU-INDUCED MODIFICATIONS IN THE COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR OF 12 HUMAN BRAIN CANCER CELL-LINES

The aim of our study is to characterize the disturbance induced by rep eated BCNU treatments in 12 human brain tumor cell lines in terms of t heir collective behavior. This collective behavior was characterized b y means of the Delaunay triangulation and Voronoi mathematical paving techniques combined with the computer-assisted microscope analysis of Feulgen-stained nuclei. This methodology enabled growth to be characte rized in terms of cell colony size and density. In addition to this co lony pattern characterization, the DNA ploidy level was assessed by me ans of DNA histogram typing. The cell proliferation level was also det ermined. Ten astrocytic and two medulloblastoma cell lines treated wee kly with BCNU were analyzed. Study of the cell colony architecture and cell proliferation revealed specific BCNU-induced modifications in co nnection with the origins of the cell lines, i.e. astrocytoma (AST), g lioblastoma (GEM), or medulloblastoma (MED). The BCNU-induced effect o n GEM (the more malignant of the cell lines) was very different in tha t proliferation was weakened, but the cell colony density increased af ter a latency phase. The decrease in cell colony density and cell prol iferation of MED seems to indicate that they are more sensitive to BCN U than GEM, but relatively tolerant of this type of chemotherapy in co mparison with AST.