This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Olsson, L. Articles by Mathé, G. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Olsson, L. Articles by Mathé, G.

A Cytokinetic Analysis of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin-induced Growth Control of a Murine Leukemia¹

Institute of Cancerology and Immunogenetics, Hopital Paul-Brousse, Avenue Paul Vaillant-Couturier, 94800 Villejuif, France

The cytokinetics of an isogeneic, transplantable, lymphoid leukemia, growing as an ascitic tumor in the C57BL/6 mouse, has been investigated during normal growth and during regression induced by weekly injections i.v. of 1.0 mg Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). Survival was significantly prolonged in the BCG-treated group, and 27% of the mice were apparently cured. The tumor growth curves showed, furthermore, that BCG-treated mice could be divided into two groups according to whether the ascitic tumor cell number was at control level or below that of the controls.

By methods such as stathmokinetics, tritiated thymidine autoradiography, and cytophotometry, it was demonstrated that the proliferative activity was higher in BCG mice with a low tumor mass as compared to controls and BCG mice with a tumor mass similar to that of controls. The cytokinetic characteristics of BCG mice with a low ascitic tumor cell number were especially expressed by high mitotic activity, high initial labeling indices, short potential tumor doubling time, and a low number of G₀-G₁ cells. Furthermore, the ascitic tumor cell loss rate was increased in these mice during the whole experimental period.

It was deduced from the various parameters and especially from the cytophotometric and autoradiographic results that BCG induces a preferential kill of tumor cells in G₀-G₁ and the first part of the S phase. In addition, the cytological aspects of the ascitic tumor were found to be related to the cell kinetic pattern as the amount of small and large tumor cells increased and decreased, respectively, with accumulation of tumor cells in G₀-G₁.

¹ Supported in part by The Danish Medical Research Council Grant j.n^o 512-5034 and by NATO Research Fellowship j.n^o 22/75.

Received 5/25/76. Accepted 3/11/77.