Thermosensitivity of multidrug-resistant human gastric and pancreatic carcinoma cells.

Often, tumour cells acquire drug resistance phenotypes, which include the classical multidrug resistance (MDR) phenomenon accompanied by the synthesis of the P-glycoprotein (Pgp) and atypical MDR phenotypes mediated by different, in part unknown, mechanisms. To investigate the susceptibility of tumour cells exhibiting different kinds of MDR to treatment with heat, the hyperthermic survival of established human gastric and pancreatic carcinoma cell lines were studied and sublines exhibiting a classical and an atypical MDR phenotype were derived, respectively. Arrhenius analysis of this panel of gastrointestinal tumour cells revealed that both the classical and the atypical MDR variants exhibited no breaking points (T*) in contrast to the parent tumour cells. The activation enthalpies E(A) were about 40% lower at T > T* in comparison to the E(A) at lower temperatures. Classical MDR variants of both gastrointestinal tumour cell types exhibited a similar E(A) value, whereas the E(A) of atypical MDR gastric carcinoma cells was 1.6-fold higher than the E(A) of corresponding pancreatic carcinoma cells. In comparison to the parent lines, the drug resistant variants exhibited a 2.1-fold (gastric carcinoma, classical MDR), 2.7-fold (gastric carcinoma, atypical MDR) and 1.4-fold (pancreatic carcinoma, classical MDR) increase of activation enthalpies and a nearby unchanged E(A) in pancreatic carcinoma cells exhibiting an atypical MDR.

Correlation of electron microscopic and secretory response of human parathyroid adenomas with different calcium concentrations in organ culture.

Twelve parathyroid chief cell adenomas from patients with primary hyperparathyroidism were incubated in a tissue culture system in the presence of different calcium concentrations and for various time periods. The endocrine response of the tissue was examined electron microscopically and radioimmunologically. After incubation in a medium of low calcium concentration the parathyroid adenomas showed ultrastructural signs of stimulation with proliferation of the hormone-synthesizing organelles. The development of the ultrastructural response could first be observed after four hours and increased up to several days. Radioimmunologically, an increase of the hormone secretion could be demonstrated. Converse results were obtained after incubation of the tumor tissue under suppressive culture conditions. To check for de-novo synthesis of the hormone released the tissue was incubated in a 75Se-methionine-containing medium. This resulted in radioactivity of the secreted parathyroid hormone, indicating de novo synthesis in our culture system. The biological potency of the released hormone was demonstrated by comparison of the PTH out of the medium with the international human MRC standard using two different radioassays.