EFFECTS OF LOW CONCENTRATION OF VINBLASTINE ON THE ANCHORAGE-INDEPENDENT GROWTH AND INVITRO INVASION OF HUMAN RENAL-CARCINOMA CELL-LINES

A study was conducted on the effect of vinblastine (VBL), an anti-mito tic drug that is commonly employed in the treatment of human renal cel l carcinoma. When VBL was added to serum-free cultures of the ACHN and NT cell lines (both lines are of human renal carcinoma origin), a con centration of 1 mug/ml resulted in death of most of the cells of both cell types. However, at a concentration of 10 ng/ml or less, although the cells detached from the culture dish, many viable cells were obser ved. In addition, in an in vitro invasion assay, the invasiveness of t hese detached cells was demonstrated to be accelerated in comparison w ith the parent monolayed cells. This increase of invasion was observed in the treatment of TN-16 which is known to have a metaphase-arrestin g effect, not to have an anti-cancer effect. When detached cells by VB L were inoculated into soft agar, their colony-forming ability was cle arly increased in comparison with the parent cells or TN-16 treated ce lls. These results indicate that low concentration of VBL appears to i ncrease the malignant potential of human renal carcinoma cells in cult ure.