[Prognostic value of erythrocyte polyamines levels in renal cell carcinoma. Prospective study in 418 cases]. / Valeur pronostique des polyamines érythrocytaires dans le cancer du rein. Etude chez 418 patients.

OBJECTIVES: Polyamines: Spermine (Spm) and Spermidine (Spmd), are essential for cell proliferation and differentiation. A measurement of erythocytes polyamines (EPA) was developed in our institution. Our objective was to evaluate this marker as a new prognostic factor in renal cell carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A blood sample was prospectively taken before surgery, among 418 patients who had an enlarged nephrectomy (n=318) or a partial nephrectomy (n=100) to quantify EPA rates by using the HPLC technique. The qualitative and quantitative variables have been compared using chi(2) and Student statistical analyses. The survivals have been normalized by the Kaplan Meier and Cox methods. RESULTS: The average age of our population was 64 years (21-88). The average decline was 41 months (1-214). The median size of tumors was 6.5cm (1-24). The median rate of Spm and Spmd were respectively 4.7 (1-83) and 9 (2-86)nmol/8.10(9) erythrocytes. Spm and Spmd were linked to the T stage (p=0.001), and the ECOG (p=0.001 and 0,008). Spm was not linked at N and M stages but at the Fuhrman grade (p=0.001). Spmd was linked to the N, M stages (p=0.04). With univariate analysis, the tumor diameter, the TNM stage, the Fuhrman grade as well as Spm and Spmd (p<0.0001) were predictors of specific survival. With multivariate analysis, some prognostic factors remained independent: the TNM stage, the ECOG and Spmd, a continuous variable (p=0.0001), pushing the rank of Fuhrman out of the model. When Spm and Spmd were dichotomized in quantitative variables, they were both independent factors. CONCLUSION: The EPA is a new prognostic tool, before surgery, which will be tested for its integration into prognostic normograms.

Polyamine contents in current foods: a basis for polyamine reduced diet and a study of its long term observance and tolerance in prostate carcinoma patients.

Polyamine contents were assessed by mass spectrometry in 233 current foods and beverages. In order to reduce gut polyamine uptake, a polyamine reduced diet (PRD) and partial intermittent intestinal tract decontamination (PIITD) with neomycin or nifuroxazide was proposed as nutritional therapy to 33 prostate carcinoma patients, 30 of whom with hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). Mean PRD observance was 22 +/- 19 (median: 16; range: 3-72) months. 10, 8 and 3 patients were respectively on PRD for more than 30, 36 and 64 months. No diet toxicity was observed. 8 patients had moderate intestinal intolerance due to PIITD which was interrupted. No significant differences in body weight, blood counts or serum protein levels were observed during the follow-up of patients under PRD. Performance status and pain scores were relatively stable during the trial with improved pain scores at 6 months. A PRD associated with intermittent PIITD is a safe and well observed nutritional regimen and long term observance is possible.

Bis(7-amino-4-azaheptyl)dimethlysilane and bis(7-ethylamino-4-azaheptyl)dimethylsilane: inhibition of tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo.

Bis(7-amino-4-azaheptyl)dimethylsilane (AzhepSi) and its bis(ethyl) derivative [bis(7-ethylamino-4-azaheptyl)dimethylsilane] (EtAzhepSi) are the first examples of a new type of aliphatic tetramine with a dimethylsilane group incorporated into the central carbon chain. AzhepSi shares certain properties with the natural polyamines, but in contrast with spermidine and spermine it inhibits the growth of L1210 leukemia cells in culture at micromolar concentrations. The bis(ethyl) derivative of AzhepSi was made, in analogy to bis(ethyl) spermine, a polyamine derivative, which gained much attention during the last decade as a potential anticancer drug. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells accumulate the dimethylsilyl tetramines considerably more and are more sensitive to these drugs than are CHO-MG cells, a polyamine uptake-deficient mutant. This and related observations demonstrate that AzhepSi and EtAzhepSi are preferentially taken up by a polyamine transport system. Both tetramines inhibit the growth of a variety of tumor cells at micromolar concentrations. AzhepSi turned out to be either equipotent or more potent, but in no case less potent than EtAzhepSi. When given alone at daily doses of 25 micromol/kg, the compounds did not prolong the survival time of L1210 leukemia mice. However, in combination with 2-(difluoromethyl)ornithine and neomycin, AzhepSi had a significant effect on the life span of the animals. The growth rate of 3LL Lewis lung carcinoma was reduced by both compounds at daily doses of 25 micromol/kg. The observations presented in this work suggest that the dimethylsilyl tetramines are antiproliferative agents in vitro and in vivo. Due to enhanced general toxicity, the introduction of N-ethyl substituents was of no advantage in the case of these polyamine analogues.

Endogenous and exogenous polyamines in support of tumor growth.

The combination of inhibitors of ornithine decarboxylase and polyamine oxidase and of antibiotics suitable for the (partial) decontamination of the gastrointestinal tract with a polyamine-deficient diet reduced the growth rate of Lewis lung carcinoma by more than 80%. The formation of lung metastases was prevented by 70 to 100%, depending on the treatment. The reduction of tumor growth was accompanied by a decrease of tissue polyamine concentrations, a reduced rate of tumor cell proliferation, and protein synthesis. The comparison of the ornithine decarboxylase inhibitors Eflornithine [D,L-2-(difluoromethyl)ornithine] and (E)-2-(fluoromethyl)dehydroornithine ethylester confirmed the greater in vivo potency of the latter compound. Our method of growth inhibition by systematic polyamine deprivation is not tumor specific, but presumably generally applicable to rapid growth.

Alterations in intestinal uptake of putrescine and tissue polyamine concentrations in tumor-bearing rats.

Intestinal absorption of putrescine and tissue metabolism of polyamines were investigated in rats grafted with the rapidly growing Mat-Lylu prostatic tumor. These animals exhibited a dramatic 21% decrease in weight and protein, but not DNA, content of their intestinal mucosa, relative to healthy rats reared under similarly controlled nutritional conditions. No significant variation in the specific activities of intestinal brush-border membrane enzymes was observed, however, suggesting a comparable differentiation state of intestinal cells exists in both groups. Putrescine uptake by brush-border membrane vesicles prepared from cancerous or healthy rat intestine was a time dependent process at 25 degrees C. Equilibrium uptake was much greater than could be explained by equilibration of the vesicle space with putrescine, indicating that the diamine was bound to membrane sites. Kinetics of putrescine uptake at 2 min revealed that the process involves two components, a saturable Michaelis-Menten carrier and passive diffusion. With respect to the kinetic parameters of putrescine transport, no significant changes were observed between the tumor-bearing and the control rats. After correction for nonspecific binding to the membranes, putrescine accumulation at equilibrium (75 min) was concentration-dependent and fit a single-site saturable model. Maximum accumulation of the diamine at equilibrium (Bmax) was increased by more than 46% in the cancerous rats relative to the controls, but the dissociation constant (Kd) was unchanged. Efflux of putrescine from the vesicles was slightly slower in the tumor-bearing group, but the differences were generally not significant. No change was observed with respect to the specific activity of ornithine decarboxylase and the concentration of polyamines in the intestinal mucosa. In Mat-Lylu grafted rats fed a standard diet supplemented with [14C]putrescine, about 19% of body radioactivity was recovered in the tumor within 24 h. This was concomitant with a decrease in the percentage of radioactivity retained in the intestinal, renal and hepatic tissues, relative to that retained in the same tissues of healthy rats. Our findings indicate that the presence of the tumor evolves an adaptive response in the small intestine of the rat, involving an increased capacity of the brush-border membrane to accumulate putrescine.

Tumour growth modifies intravascular polyamine transport by plasma lipoproteins in the mouse.

Polyamines are polycationic compounds which are implicated in cell division and tumor growth. We have evaluated the potential role of plasma lipoproteins in the transport of major polyamines, spermine, spermidine and putrescine, and the effect of tumor growth on such transport. Plasmas of healthy male BL6/DBA2 mice and of mice bearing Lewis lung carcinoma (3LL) were fractionated by isopycnic density gradient ultracentrifugation, and polyamine content determined in lipoprotein fractions. Spermidine was the most abundant polyamine in the lipoproteins of both control and tumor-bearing mice and was principally associated with HDL (d: 1.046-1.136 g/ml); approx. 40% of total plasma polyamines was lipoprotein-associated in control mice and 60% in cancerous mice. Only minor amounts were transported by LDL (< 10% of total lipoprotein-associated polyamines), while VLDL were devoid of these substances. Marked elevations of circulating levels of LDL were found in 3LL grafted mice: in these particles however, the contents of spermidine and spermine were significantly reduced. A preferential uptake of polyamines by red blood cells could in part explain this marked reduction of LDL polyamine content, but the consequence of this reduction on the net electrical charge and biochemical function of LDL remains unknown. Elevations of plasma LDL and HDL levels in 3LL-grafted mice underlie the finding that only minor modification was detected in the putrescine content of these particles. However, it is evident that elevated total amounts of putrescine were present in the plasma of such animals. Finally, the density profile of polyamines was modified in cancerous mice in which a shift to transport in lighter apo.AI-containing HDL particles was observed for spermidine; an even more marked shift was found for spermine. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that HDL particles constitute the major plasma vehicle for polyamine transport in both control and in tumor-bearing mice.

Erythrocyte spermine levels: a prognostic parameter in childhood common acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Polyamines have been implicated to play a role in cell proliferation and in cancer development. Ninety percent of the circulating spermidine (Spd) and spermine (Spm) are transported by red blood cells (RBC). RBC Spd and Spm levels were prospectively determined in 63 unselected children with common acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The Spm and Spd levels were not correlated with white blood cell (WBC) count. On the basis of the polyamine levels it was possible to discriminate four groups with P< 10(-3). In C1, C2, C3 and C4 group the Spm level was respectively 90 (39-597), 3.75 (1-7.45), 9.95 (2.9-12.6) and 17(6.3-33.8). The probability of relapse-free survival (RFS) of the 58 children who entered complete remission was 55% +/- 9. For the groups C1 (n = 6), C2 (n = 16), C3 (n = 21) and C4 (n= 15) groups, the RFS was 25% +/- 20, 73% +/- 12, 73% +/- 13 and 32% +/- 13 respectively. For children with Spm levels <13/> or = 13nmol/8 x 10(9) RBC, event-free survival (EFS) was 54% +/- 11/33% +/- 10 and RFS was 64% +/- 12/38% +/- 11 respectively (P < 0.03, P < 0.005). Our clinical study shows clearly that an RBC spermine level could be used as parameter of prognosis at the time of diagnosis, particularly for patients with intermediary WBC count.

Molecular analysis of the combining site of a monoclonal antibody against spermine.

The structural basis of the binding of the polyamine spermine to the monoclonal antibody SPM8-2 was studied using computer modelling, ELISA methods and chemical modifications of the binding site residues. Paratope modelling showed that the antibody combining site forms a highly negatively charged cavity mainly shaped by aspartic acid and tyrosine residues which contact the tetra-positively charged spermine molecule by electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bondings. The importance of the electrostatic environment for spermine binding to SPM8-2 is emphasised by the strong dependency on pH and ionic strength. Specific chemical modifications of carboxylate groups and tyrosine residues of the antibody adsorbed to microtiter plates resulted in decreased binding of the N1-biotin-spermine conjugate used to monitor the activity of the antibody. These observations are consistent with a key role of aspartate and tyrosine residues in complex formation with spermine. These studies, important to our understanding of antibody-hapten specificity, may also shed light on important motifs responsible for protein-polyamine interactions.

Polyamine transport in mammalian cells. An update.

The uptake and release of the natural polyamines putrescine, spermidine and spermine by mammalian cells are integral parts of the systems that regulate the intracellular concentrations of these biogenic amines according to needs. Although a general feature of all tissues, polyamine uptake into intestinal mucosa cells is perhaps the most obvious polyamine transport pathway of physiological and pathophysiological importance. Mutant cell lines lacking the ability to take up polyamines from the environment are capable of releasing polyamines. This indicates that uptake and release are functions of two different transport systems. The isolation of a transporter gene from a mammalian cell line is still lacking. Overaccumulation of polyamines is controlled by release and by a feedback regulation system that involves de novo synthesis of antizyme, a well known protein that also regulates the activity of ornithine decarboxylase. Recent work has demonstrated that Ca(2+)-signalling pathways are also involved. Although there is consensus about the importance of polyamine uptake inhibitors in the treatment of neoplastic disorders, a practically useful uptake inhibitor is still missing. However, the attempts to target tumours, and to increase the selectivity of cytotoxic agents by combining them with the polyamine structure, are promising. New, less toxic and more selective anticancer drugs can be expected from this approach.

Polyamine sulfonamides with NMDA antagonist properties are potent calmodulin antagonists and cytotoxic agents.

N1-Dansylspermine and related sulfonamides of the natural polyamines are very potent blockers of NMDA-type glutamate receptors. They exhibit pharmacological properties which were not predicted from the constituents of the conjugates. Cytotoxicity and calmodulin antagonism of N1-dansylspermine were especially impressive. Calmodulin antagonism implies that N1-dansylspermine prevents induction of ornithine decarboxylase and inhibits its own active uptake via the polyamine transport system. Structure-activity considerations demonstrated that an aromatic character of the substituent is not required; amide bond formation with an aliphatic sulfonic acid is sufficient to transform spermine into a highly toxic calmodulin antagonist. Cytotoxicity and calmodulin antagonism are properties which are intrinsic to spermine, but they are observed only at very high concentrations. Amide bond formation at N1 with a lipophilic residue appears to 'amplify' these normally latent properties. The use of polyamine conjugates structurally related to the amides described in this work for targeting tumours may be marred by their calmodulin antagonism.

Protein-bound polyamines in the plasma of mice grafted with the Lewis lung carcinoma.

Protein-bound polyamines were isolated from the plasma of mice using antipolyamine antibodies covalently linked to magnetic latex spheres. Their subsequent separation by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) showed that in plasma from normal mice, 3 proteins (27, 55 and 82 kDa) carrying polyamines could be visualized, whereas in mice bearing the Lewis lung carcinoma at least 8 other proteins of higher molecular mass (5 of 94, 110, 130, 145 and 160 kDa, and 3 of greater than 170 kDa) had bound polyamines. These protein-bound polyamines could be detected from the first week after tumour graft; they increased during the second and third week but decreased thereafter. These proteins were not bound by immunolatex spheres preincubated with spermine bound to a protein-carrier insulin. Moreover, the appearance of these protein-bound polyamines was not a consequence of the inflammatory process since in mice infected with heat-inactivated Brucella abortus, with the exception of a 65 kDa protein, polyamines were bound to the same proteins found in normal mice. In mice grafted with the Lewis lung carcinoma the concomitant decrease in transglutaminase-mediated polyamine (e.g. putrescine) binding capacity of plasma proteins provides additional evidence for the presence in vivo of polyamines already bound to plasma proteins.

Red blood cell polyamines, anaemia and tumour growth in the rat.

In rats with Mat Lylu prostatic carcinoma, significant changes in blood composition and red blood cell (RBC) characteristics were observed. Anaemia, characterised by a decrease in the number of RBC and the reduction of haemoglobin and the iron content in plasma, was correlated with tumour size and the accumulation of spermidine and spermine in the RBC. In large tumours, spermidine levels were increased by 8-fold over normal value. Spleen weight and splenic spermidine concentrations were enhanced in animals with tumours. After splenectomy, the rate of tumour growth decreased by 30%. It is proposed that anaemia in tumour-bearing animals is caused by enhanced RBC lysis, owing to the alteration of the rheological properties of RBC. These may be caused by the alterated surface characteristics due to polyamine accumulation. RBC lysis and high concentrations of polyamines in RBC and spleen appear, not only to favour tumour growth, but also to compromise the immunological defence mechanisms against neoplastic invasion.

In vitro studies on the entry of polyamines into normal red blood cells.

Polyamines are mainly transported in the blood by erythrocytes: Putrescine, spermidine and spermine can be taken up in vitro by red blood cells (RBC); their entry is greater in the presence of serum than in the presence of plasma, and spermine entry is lower than that observed for the two other polyamines. In the presence of serum, the affinity of RBC for spermidine is 30 fold greater than that for putrescine. The majority of RBC polyamines are present in the hemolysate and are not complexed to high molecular weight material. At + 4 degrees C the polyamine uptake is considerably reduced and for putrescine and spermine practically non existent, but it seems that it is internalization rather than binding which constitutes the dependent step. Though intracellular spermidine and spermine levels reflect differences in uptake rather than in outward flux across the cell membrane, the values of putrescine appear to be the resultant of influx and efflux. The presence of specific receptor sites for polyamines visualized by SEM on the surface of RBC using latex-putrescine spheres, confirms the results obtained with labelled polyamines. Therefore, only the understanding of the polyamine repartition inside the blood compartments would permit the clinical use of those molecules as non statistical tumor markers.

Differential recognition of free and covalently bound polyamines by the monoclonal anti-spermine antibody SPM8-2.

The reactivity of an anti-spermine MAb (SPM8-2) toward polyamines either free or bound to a solid surface was investigated using equilibrium dialysis and ELISA methods. When polyamines were covalently linked to hydrophilized microtiter plates using carbodiimide, the MAb SPM8-2 reacted both with spermine and spermidine, with a higher affinity for the latter, but did not show any reactivity towards bound putrescine. In contrast, the MAb SPM8-2 reacted with all three polyamines bound to the microtiter plates with glutaraldehyde, with an affinity in the order: putrescine > spermidine > spermine. Equilibrium dialysis and competitive ELISA tests showed that the MAb SPM8-2 exhibited high affinity for free spermine and 50% and 5% cross-reactivity with free spermidine and putrescine respectively. The affinity of the MAb SPM8-2 for putrescine, spermidine and spermine appears to depend on whether the polyamine is free or bound. The antigenicity of the polyamines differs according to the nature of their link to the solid phase. These observations are discussed in the light of the structural modification produced by covalent binding of the polyamines. It is also concluded that when antibodies are used, due care has to be exercised in choosing the appropriate immunoassay for determining the specificity of antibodies directed against small haptens such as the polyamines.

N-Benzylpolyamines as vectors of boron and fluorine for cancer therapy and imaging: synthesis and biological evaluation.

Cancer cells have high-affinity polyamine uptake systems with a low stringency for structural features. Putrescine, spermidine, and spermine have, therefore, been considered as potential vectors for the selective accumulation in tumors of therapeutically or diagnostically useful structures and elements. We envisaged N-benzyl derivatives of the polyamines as vectors of (10)B and (18)F for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and tumor imaging by positron emission tomography (PET), respectively. In the present work, the synthesis, transport characteristics, DNA-binding properties, and cytotoxicity of several N-benzyl derivatives of putrescine and spermidine are described. The fluorinated spermidine derivative N-(3-[(4-aminobutyl)amino]propyl)[(4-fluorophenyl)methyl]amine (N(1)-4-Fbz-spd) may be useful for PET because of its high accumulation in cancer cells via the polyamine transport system. Among the boron-containing benzyl polyamines, N-(4-aminobutyl)([4-(dihydroxyboryl)phenyl]methyl)amine (4-Bbz-put) and N-(3-[(4-aminobutyl)amino]propyl)([4-(dihydroxyboryl)phenyl]methyl)amine (N(1)-4-Bbz-spd) should be suitable for BNCT, because their accumulation in B16 melanoma cells was more efficient than that of borocaptate and borophenylalanine, two reference compounds used in BNCT.

Internalization of metformin is necessary for its action on potentiating the insulin-induced Xenopus laevis oocyte maturation.

In this study, metformin (N, N1 dimethylbiguanide) was found to potentiate insulin-induced Xenopus laevis oocyte maturation, a phenomenon of transition from late G2 to M phase of the cell cycle. These cells also accumulated exogenous metformin (130 +/- 6.5 nmol/oocyte). Metformin covalently-coupled to Sepharose 4B beads failed to potentiate the insulin-induced oocyte maturation which suggests that these cells did not take up metformin from the extracellular medium. Addition of metformin alone to Xenopus laevis oocytes did not induce the maturation process, though these cells took up exogenous metformin. Micro-injection of metformin (120 nmol/oocyte) to oocytes accelerated the insulin-induced maturation, but it was lower than in cells which were incubated with free metformin together with insulin. Interestingly, insulin had no effect on metformin uptake by the oocytes. Methylglyoxal-bis(guanylhydrazone), MGBG, an apparent analogue of metformin, induced oocyte maturation. Addition of metformin, either free or Sepharose-bound, did not influence the MGBG-induced 60% maturation of Xenopus laevis oocytes. These results suggest that the internalization of metformin is necessary for its action and its effects are specific on insulin activity.

Transport and metabolism of polyamines in wild and multidrug resistant human leukemia (K 562) cells.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) can be defined as the resistance of cancer cells not just to chemotherapeutic agents to which they have been exposed but also to other apparently unrelated compounds. This MDR phenotype is commonly associated with the high expression of levels of 170 kDa P-glycoprotein, encoded by MDR genes. In the present study, the uptake kinetics of polyamines and their biosynthesis were studied in wild and multidrug resistant (MDR) K 562 cells in culture. The rate (Vmax) of polyamine uptake was significantly lower in MDR cells than that in wild type cells, whereas the Km for the uptake was not significantly different in these cells, suggesting that polyamine transporter is not modified in MDR cells, though their different physiological state influences the uptake process. In a 32 h chase, the transported radioactive polyamines were gradually interconverted. [14C]putrescine was converted into [14C]spermidine following between 15 min and 32 h of culture, and into [14C]-spermine after 16 h of culture, in both the cell types; however, the levels of interconverted radioactive polyamines were always lower in MDR cells as compared with wild type cells. Similarly, internalized [14C]spermidine was converted into [14C]spermine, but not into [14C]putrescine in both the cells types. [14C]spermidine is metabolized into [14C]spermine after 4 h of culture in wild type cells, whereas in MDR cells the interconversion of [14C]spermidine into [14C]spermine is seen only after 16 h of culture. Blocking of the transmembrane drug efflux pump, expressed in the MDR cells, by preincubation in the presence of verapamil, did not influence the uptake of either of the two polyamines (putrescine and spermidine) by MDR cells. On the contrary, this kind of preincubation of wild type cells in the presence of verapamil significantly increased the uptake of these two polyamines. The levels of intracellular polyamine contents in MDR cells were always lower than those in the parental cell line. These results demonstrate that MDR cells are defective in both the uptake of polyamines and their biosynthesis as compared with wild type cells.

Clinical significance of cell proliferation, microvessel density, and CD44 adhesion molecule expression in renal cell carcinoma.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is known to have a wide variation in clinical outcome despite the use of conventional prognostic factors, such as staging or grading. A better knowledge of the biologic aggressiveness of RCC could facilitate the selection of patients at high risk of tumor progression. The aim of this study was to determine if use of measurements of vascular density, cell proliferation, and cell adhesion could better predict the biologic behavior of RCC. We immunohistochemically analyzed CD34, Ki-67, and CD44H expression on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues from 73 RCCs for quantifying microvessel density (MVD), Ki-67 labeling index (LI), and CD44H LI, respectively. Univariate cancer-specific survival analysis showed that tumor stage (P < .01), tumor size (P < .001), nuclear grade (P < .01), metastasis (P < .001), MVD (P < .03), Ki-67 LI (P < .001), and CD44H LI (P < .0001) were predictors of tumor-related death. There was a statistical correlation between CD44H LI and both Ki-67 LI (r' = .3) and MVD (r' = -44). Ki-67 LI (P < .04) and CD44H LI (P < .02), as well as metastasis (P < .008), emerged as independent predictors of cancer-specific survival in multivariate analysis in patients with metastases (P < .04 and P < .02, respectively) and in patients without metastases (P < .006 and P < .00001, respectively). Our study suggests that vascular density, cell proliferation, and cell adhesion represent a complex tumor-host interaction that may favor progression of RCC. Cell proliferation and CD44H expression appear to be powerful markers to identify patients with an adverse prognosis.

Three dimensional culture of pineal cell aggregates: a model of cell-cell co-operation.

Three dimensional (3-D) cultures of pineal cell aggregates were obtained by constant gyratory shaking the heterogenous cell populations, obtained from the rat pineals, in the DMEM (Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium). Within 4 days, the pineal cells became organized into a tissue like configuration appearing as a compact ball, evidenced by the scanning electron microscopy. The 3-D aggregates seemed to be mainly composed of pinealocytes (round-oval cells), glial (elongated cells) and other unknown cells. The heterogenous cells were separated by intercellular spaces. The ultrastructural characteristics revealed by transmission electron microscopy exhibited the presence of granular lysosomes, typical of pinealocytes actively involved in the secretion. These pineal cell aggregates secreted melatonin and other indole amines i.e. 5-methoxytryptamine (5-MT), indole acetic acid (IAA), 5-methoxy-3-indole acetic acid (5-MIAA), tryptophol (TOL) and 5-methoxytryptophol (5-MTL) in the culture medium, indicating the functional aspect of pinealocytes. The 3-D aggregates cultures had advantages over the pineal monolayer cultures as, after 4 days of culture, the amounts of indole amines secreted by 3-D aggregates were higher than those secreted by monolayer cultures. Besides, the 3-D aggregates remained functional till 24 days in the gyratory culture conditions. In the continuous perifusion system, the 3-D aggregates secreted melatonin while challanged with isoproterenol. This 3-D model of pineal cell aggregates might be useful, in future, to perform other kinetic studies of the release of indole amines in perifusion experiments as this system allows the maintenance of pineal cells for a long period of time.

Erythrocyte polyamine levels: an indication of successful engraftment of bone marrow in children.

We studied the evolution of erythrocyte polyamine levels after 17 autologous bone marrow transplants (BMT) in 16 children with malignant diseases. We found that the time to the end of aplasia (0.5 x 10(9) granulocytes per liter) could be divided into 2 distinct periods. The first is characterized by low erythrocyte spermidine (Spd) and spermine (Spm) levels; the second is characterized by normal levels of polyamines. Spd and Spm levels were correlated (r = 0.74) during the second period, but not during the first period or in the control group. Furthermore, the time when Spd concentration was > or = 7 nmol/8 x 10(9) erythrocytes (19 +/- 7) was correlated (r = 0.64) with the advent of end of aplasia (30 +/- 10). We found no correlation between the numbers of CFU-GM and duration of aplasia levels or the duration of period A. The establishment of normal erythrocyte spermidine levels is the earliest index of successful marrow engraftment.