beta-Alethine (beta-alanyl-cysteamine disulfide) exhibits striking bio
logical activities in diverse systems. At an optimum of about 10 ng/ml
, beta-alethine (a) adapts murine liver cells to culture (53 colonies/
10(6) cells versus none in controls), (b) delays aging of human IMR-90
fetal lung fibroblasts (102 population doubling levels versus 47 in c
ontrols, producing 3 x 10(16) greater biomass), and (c) markedly stimu
lates antibody-producing plaque-forming cells from murine splenocytes
(16,875/10(6) cells versus 55/10(6) cells in controls) or human periph
eral blood leukocytes (1826/10(6) cells versus 0/10(6) cells in contro
ls). Early interventions with beta-alethine (1 ng/kg to 100 mu g/kg) s
uccessfully treat NS-1 myeloma in a syngeneic murine tumor model (NS-1
myeloma). Although there are indications in this model that beta-alet
hine is also effective when intervention is late, beta-alethine is ine
ffective in an allogeneic murine melanoma model (Cloudman S-91 melanom
a). It is inferred that beta-alethine enhances cellular phenotypic exp
ression, function, and vitality in diverse biological systems and may
treat certain types of neoplasia. Because atomic spacings between the
amide moieties in beta-alethine are the same as in the differentiating
agent hexamethylene-bis-acetamide and because the radioprotectors WR
2721 and WR 1065 lack only the carbonyl oxygen of the thiol form (beta
-aletheine), biological activities already reported for these compound
s are compared with those presented herein for beta-alethine. Although
these comparisons have not been made in the same systems, the tentati
ve conclusion is that the amide moieties of beta-alethine may be criti
cal to its potency and lack of obvious toxicity in cell culture and an
imal models.