Changes in erythropoiesis due to radiation or chemotherapy as studied by flow cytometric determination of peripheral blood reticulocytes

Flow cytometric determination of time dependent changes of numbers of reticulocytes in peripheral blood were investigated as a parameter for changes in erythropoiesis induced by radiation- or chemotherapy. Rats irradiated or treated with drugs (such as e.g. cyclophosphamide 100 mg/kg, vincristin 0.2 mg/kg, or mitomycin C 1.0 mg/kg) showed clear changes in erythropoietic activity. Reticulocyte numbers decreased rapidly until day 3-4 after treatment; this period was followed by a gradual increase and normal control values were seen at day 8-11. Radiation effects of doses as low 0.5 Gy could be detected in such a way. Similar studies were performed with patients with ovarian tumors treated with cis-platinum, a drug that may cause non-immune haemolysis. During prolonged treatment some patients showed increasing numbers of reticulocytes, measured at the first day of each hospitalization period, whereas leucocyte and platelet counts stayed more or less constant. Increasing numbers of reticulocytes generally indicates stimulation of erythropoietic activity of the bone marrow (due to increased blood loss); in this study increasing numbers often preceeded a decrease in hemoglobin values later on. Flow cytometric analysis of reticulocytes is therefore a potentially useful tool to detect changes in erythropoiesis, and considered more sensitive for the early recognition of patients that develop anemia, than hemoglobin measurements only.     

Augmentation of the generation of lymphokine-activated killer cells after a single dose of mitomycin C in cancer patients

Summary The effect of mitomycin C administration on the generation of cytotoxic cells, induced by in vitro activation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBM) with interleukin-2, was studied in patients with various carcinomas. The ability of PBM to generate lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell activity against Raji cell targets was significantly augmented 5 and 7 days after a single intravenous dose of 12 mg/m² mitomycin C, when compared to that of PBM obtained before mitomycin C injection. Further, LAK cell activity against autologous tumor cells was also significantly increased after the drug administration. The distribution of lymphocyte subsets exhibited a significant increase in the percentage of CD3⁺ cells after injection, with the elevation of the CD4/CD8 ratio. Furthermore, the proportion of the CD4⁺ Leu8⁺ subpopulation, which identifies inducers of suppression, was significantly reduced. Thus, the decrease in the proportion of suppressor-inducer subsets of PBM might be at least partially, responsible for the augmented generation of LAK cells after mitomycin C administration.     

Hypotensive and sedative effects of insulin in autonomic failure.

The haemodynamic responses to intravenous insulin (0.15 units/kg) were measured in five patients with chronic autonomic failure who were not receiving drug treatment. After the administration of insulin supine blood pressure fell steadily, with a substantial reduction even before the onset of hypoglycaemia. None of the patients showed the usual range of neuroglycopenic symptoms, but they all became drowsy, with increasing sedation as the blood glucose concentration fell. In four other patients with autonomic dysfunction intravenous injection of 25-50 ml of 50% glucose alone caused a striking, although transient, fall in blood pressure. Hypoglycaemia was reversed by a 10 minute intravenous infusion of 100 ml of 25% glucose; this did not lower blood pressure further and rapidly restored previous levels of alertness. Consideration must be given to the hypotensive potential of insulin in patients with autonomic failure during an insulin stress test. The inability of these patients to show the usual manifestations of hypoglycaemia, plus the short lived, though pronounced, reduction in blood pressure after intravenous administration of 50% glucose, may further increase the risks of this procedure.     

Changes in erythropoiesis due to radiation or chemotherapy as studied by flow cytometric determination of peripheral blood reticulocytes

Summary Flow cytometric determination of time dependent changes of numbers of reticulocytes in peripheral blood were investigated as a parameter for changes in erythropoiesis induced by radiation- or chemotherapy. Rats irradiated or treated with drugs (such as e.g. cyclo-phosphamide 100 mg/kg, vincristin 0.2 mg/kg, or mitomycin C 1.0 mg/kg) showed clear changes in erythropoietic activity. Reticulocyte numbers decreased rapidly until day 3–4 after treatment; this period was followed by a gradual increase and normal control values were seen at day 8–11. Radiation effects of doses as low 0.5 Gy could be detected in such a way.Similar studies were performed with patients with ovarian tumors treated with cis-platinum, a drug that may cause non-immune haemolysis. During prolonged treatment some patients showed increasing numbers of reticulocytes, measured at the first day of each hospitalization period, whereas leucocyte and platelet counts stayed more or less constant. Increasing numbers of reticulocytes generally indicates stimulation of erythropoietic activity of the bone marrow (due to increased blood loss); in this study increasing numbers often preceeded a decrease in hemoglobin values later on.Flow cytometric analysis of reticulocytes is therefore a potentially useful tool to detect changes in erythropoiesis, and considered more sensitive for the early recognition of patients that develop anemia, than hemoglobin measurements only.In honous of Prof. P. van Duijn.     

Bioreductive activation of mitomycin C by DT-diaphorase.

The role of DT-diaphorase (DTD, EC 1.6.99.2) in the bioreductive activation of mitomycin C was examined using purified rat hepatic DTD. The formation of adducts with reduced glutathione (GSH), binding of [3H]mitomycin C to DNA, and mitomycin C-induced DNA interstrand cross-linking were used as indicators of bioactivation. Mitomycin C was metabolized by DTD in a pH-dependent manner with increasing amounts of metabolism observed as the pH was decreased from 7.8 to 5.8. The major metabolite observed during DTD-mediated reduction of mitomycin C was 2,7-diaminomitosene. GSH adduct formation, binding of [3H]mitomycin C and mitomycin C-induced DNA interstrand cross-linking were observed during DTD-mediated metabolism. In agreement with the pH dependence of metabolism, increased bioactivation was observed at lower pH values. Temporal studies and experiments using authentic material showed that 2,7-diaminomitosene could be further metabolized by DTD resulting in the formation of mitosene adducts with GSH. DNA cross-linking during either chemical (sodium borohydride) or enzymatic (DTD) mediated reduction of mitomycin C could be observed at pH 7.4, but it increased as the pH was decreased to 5.8, showing the critical role of pH in the cross-linking process. These data provide unequivocal evidence that the obligate two-electron reductase DTD can bioactivate mitomycin C to reactive species which can form adducts with GSH and DNA and induce DNA cross-linking. The use of mitomycin C may be a viable approach to the therapy of tumors high in DTD activity, particularly when combined with strategies to lower tumor pH.     

Mitomycin C pharmacokinetics in patients with recurrent or metastatic colorectal carcinoma

The pharmacokinetics of mitomycin C as a single agent have been determined in 25 treatment courses given to 18 patients with recurrent or metastatic colorectal carcinoma using a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay to analyze plasma and urine samples. The plasma pharmacokinetics conformed to a two-compartment linear model in 21 of 25 courses monitored with a mean t1/2 lambda 1 of 9.8 +/- 1.2 (SEM) min and mean t1/2 lambda z of 64.1 +/- 8.9 (SEM) min. The large variation observed in t1/2 lambda z was not related to dose or treatment, but an interaction of these two factors approached significance (p = 0.057). Renal excretion in the 12 courses in which it was determined averaged only 2.3% of the total administered dose during the first 4 h monitored and no mitomycin C metabolites were detected in plasma or urine by the HPLC technique used. The most common toxicity, thrombocytopenia, did not correlate with t1/2 lambda z or the area under the curve. This may be due to a failure to monitor active metabolites of mitomycin C; other factors besides plasma drug concentrations that mediate toxicity towards marrow elements; or the small number of courses associated with thrombocytopenia (less than 100,000/mm3). Our study indicates that an interaction of drug dose and treatment course may be associated with increasing t1/2 lambda z; the renal clearance contributes a small component of mitomycin C elimination; metabolites of mitomycin C cannot be detected by the present HPLC technique; and routine monitoring of mitomycin C using present methods cannot be recommended for clinical use to predict toxicity.     

Possible mechanism of congenital malformations induced by exposure of mouse preimplantation embryos to mitomycin C

ICR mice were treated intraperitoneally with mitomycin C at 5 mg/kg on day 3 of gestation. On day 18 of gestation, fetuses of treated dams were inspected for external, skeletal and visceral malformations. At 6 or 12 hr after mitomycin C treatment, the blastocysts were obtained from the uteri of treated dams and the degenerated cells within inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm (TE) tissues were examined microscopically. On day 5, 8, 11, or 18 of gestation, the uteri of treated dams were obtained and those including embryos/fetuses and placentae were examined histologically. Finally, on each of gestational days 5-14, the blood of the treated dams was collected and the hematological parameters determined. Pre- and postimplantation losses in the dams treated with mitomycin C were significantly increased; increased frequency of abdominal wall defects and lumbar ribs in term fetuses, decreased fetal weight, and increased placental weight were noted as well. No significant increase in visceral malformations was found in term fetuses treated with mitomycin C. Frequency of degenerated cells within ICM and TE of blastocysts from dams treated with mitomycin C was significantly increased as compared with the controls. In dams treated with mitomycin C, decidua developed insufficiently and the trophoblast giant cell layer was not separated from the uterine lumen by maternal components; hemorrhage from the denuded trophoblast giant cell layer into the uterine lumen was noted. The number of erythrocytes, as well as hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, and the percentage of reticulocytes in blood of dams treated with mitomycin C were significantly lower from days 6-12 of gestation, as compared with controls. The results of the present study showed that an increase in number of degenerated cells within blastocysts results in preimplantation loss and both maternal and embryonic hypoxia during major organogenesis results in postimplantation loss and congenital fetal malformations.     

The effect of C(5) cytosine methylation at CpG sequences on mitomycin-DNA bonding profiles

Recent studies have documented that cytosine C(5) methylation of CpG sequences enhances mitomycin C (1) adduction. The reports differ on the extent and uniformity of 1 modification at the nucleotide level. We have determined the bonding profiles for mitomycin monoalkylation in two DNA restriction fragments where the CpG sequences were methylated. Three mitomycin substrates were used and two different enzymatic assays employed to monitor the extent of drug modification at the individual base sites. Drug DNA modification was accomplished with I and 10-decarbamoylmitomycin C (2) under reductive (Na2S2O4) condilions and with N-methyl-7-methoxyaziridinomitosene (3) under nonreductive conditions. The UvrABC incision assay permitted us to quantitate the sites of drug adduction, and the lambda-exonuclease stop assay provided a qualitative estimation of drug-DNA modification consistent with the UvrABC data. We learned that C(5) cytosine methylation (m5C) enhanced the extent of overall DNA modification. Using the UvrABC endonuclease assay, we found that modification by 1 increased 2.0 and 7.4 times for the two DNA restriction fragments. Analysis of the modification sites at the nucleotide sequence level revealed that guanine (G) was the only base modified and that the overall increased level of DNA adduction was due to enhanced modification of select m5CpG* (G* = mitomycin (mitosene) adduction sites) loci compared with CpG* sites: the largest differences reached two orders of magnitude. Significantly, not all CpG* sites underwent increased drug adduction upon C(5) cytosine methylation. The effect of C(5) cytosine methylation on the drug adduction profiles was less pronounced for G* sites located within dinucleotide sequences other than CpG*. We observed that DNA methylation often led to slightly diminished adduction levels at these sites. The different m5CpG* adduction patterns provided distinctive sequence-selective bonding profiles for 1-3. We have attributed the large differences in guanine reactivity to DNA structural factors created, in part, by C(5) cytosine methylation. The significance of these findings in cancer chemotherapy is briefly discussed.     

敲减BLM解旋酶表达增强前列腺癌PC3细胞对丝裂霉素C的敏感性

丝裂霉素C是一种广谱抗肿瘤抗生素,对多种癌症有抗癌作用,其作用原理可使细胞的DNA发生链间交联,引起DNA双链断裂,阻碍DNA的复制,从而抑制肿瘤细胞分裂。临床上主要用于胃癌、肠癌、肝癌及胰腺癌等消化道癌方面的治疗。本文研究丝裂霉素C对转染人BLM解旋酶基因（shRNA载体）前后前列腺癌PC3细胞活性的影响。使用前期成功构建的干扰载体转染PC3细胞,在转染48 h后加药,通过荧光定量PCR、MTT法、Transwell小室实验、细胞划痕实验、流式细胞术,分别检测加药12、24、36 h BLM基因的表达量、PC3细胞增殖能力、侵袭能力、迁移能力及凋亡情况的变化。结果显示,敲减BLM基因表达后的PC3细胞相对于正常PC3细胞其增殖能力、侵袭能力和迁移能力能显著被丝裂霉素C抑制,且丝裂霉素C能显著促进其细胞的凋亡,说明BLM基因低表达的前列腺癌细胞对丝裂霉素C更敏感。研究结果为丝裂霉素C在前列腺癌的临床治疗上奠定了理论基础。     

丝裂霉素促进活性氧自由基生成的研究

本文探讨了抗癌药丝裂霉素对活性氧自由基,超氧负离子自由基(O_2~-),羟自由基(OH)生成反应的作用,实验表明,丝裂霉素对O_2~-及OH的生成有明显的促进作用,其作用随着丝裂霉素浓度的增加而加强。分别测定了它对两种自由基生成反应的促进率。     

氨甲环酸不同给药方式对心脏瓣膜置换术患者的效果差异和安全性分析

目的:探讨氨甲环酸不同给药方式对心脏瓣膜置换术患者的效果差异和安全性。方法:选择2016年7月至2019年11月我院接诊的112例接受体外循环下心脏瓣膜置换术的患者,通过随机数表法分为三组,A组38例,B组38例,C组36例。A组在切皮前给予氨甲环酸注射液10 mg/kg单次静脉推注,B组在切皮前给予氨甲环酸注射液10 mg/kg的单次静脉推注后,之后再以5mg/kg/h的速度持续静脉泵注,直至手术结束;C组不使用氨甲环酸。比较三组围术期情况、不同时间点凝血功能及引流量的变化,并评价安全性。结果:通过对三组患者的术后24 h出血量、输液量、异体红细胞输血例数和输血量进行对比,结果显示,A组和B组上述情况均比对照组少(P<0.05),但A组和B组患者上述情况经过比较显示,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05);在手术结束时(T1)、术后6 h(T2)、术后12 h(T3)、术后24 h(T4)时点时,A组和B组患者的血小板计数(PLT)、血红蛋白(Hb)、纤维蛋白原(FIB)水平的结果均比C组高,活化部分凝血活酶时间(APTT)、国际标准化比值(INR)、D-二聚体(D-D)水平的结果均明显比C组低(P<0.05),但A组和B组患者在上述时间点各指标进行比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05);A组和B组患者在T2、T3、T4时点时引流量均比对照组低(P<0.05),但是A组和B组术后各时间点引流量的比较结果显示,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05);A组和B组术后肾功能损伤发生率比较差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:氨甲环酸对心脏瓣膜置换术患者具有血液保护作用,但和单次静脉推注氨甲环酸相比,术中持续泵注氨甲环酸并没有进一步改善患者术后凝血功能、出血量及引流量,且有增加肾损伤的风险,在临床应用上应注意药物使用方式,为患者提供更安全的用药方式。     

Significant antitumor effect of a synthetic lipid A analogue,DT-5461, on murine syngeneic tumor models

Summary The antitumor effect of a synthetic lipid A analogue, DT-5461, was investigated using syngeneic tumor models in mice. Intravenous injection of DT-5461 into mice transplanted with solid tumors of MethA fibrosarcoma, MH134 hepatoma, MM46 mammary carcinoma, Lewis lung carcinoma (3LL), and colon adenocarcinomas 26 and 38 resulted in significant reductions in the weight of all tumors except Colon 26, with marked hemorrhagic necrosis of tumor tissues. Efficacy was almost equal to that of anEscherichia coli-type synthetic lipid A (compound 506), and also to those of some chemotherapeutics including Adriamycin, mitomycin C, fluorouracil and cisplatin. Furthermore, DT-5461 was more effective than other immunotherapeutics, including picibanil (OK-432) and lentinan. However, its antitumor effects were inferior to those of Adriamycin or OK-432 against the malignant ascites caused by intraperitoneal inoculation with MethA or with MH134 cells; life span was not prolonged by either intraperitoneal or intravenous administration. In addition, although DT-5461 showed direct inhibitory effects on the in vitro growth of MethA or MH134, these were much weaker than those of Adriamycin. These findings clearly indicated that DT-5461 with systemic administration is a highly effective antitumor agent on solid tumors, and suggest that the antitumor effect of DT-5461 with potent necrotizing activity might derive from indirect mechanisms related to the activation of host immune systems and not to the weak direct cytotoxicity.     

Inhibition of DNA cross-linking by mitomycin C by peroxidase-mediated oxidation of mitomycin C hydroquinone.

Mitomycin C requires reductive activation to cross-link DNA and express anticancer activity. Reduction of mitomycin C (40 microm) by sodium borohydride (200 microm) in 20 mm Tris-HCl, 1 mm EDTA at 37 degrees C, pH 7.4, gives a 50-60% yield of the reactive intermediate mitomycin C hydroquinone. The hydroquinone decays with first order kinetics or pseudo first order kinetics with a t(12) of approximately 15 s under these conditions. The cross-linking of T7 DNA in this system followed matching kinetics, with the conversion of mitomycin C hydroquinone to leuco-aziridinomitosene appearing to be the rate-determining step. Several peroxidases were found to oxidize mitomycin C hydroquinone to mitomycin C and to block DNA cross-linking to various degrees. Concentrations of the various peroxidases that largely blocked DNA cross-linking, regenerated 10-70% mitomycin C from the reduced material. Thus, significant quantities of products other than mitomycin C were produced by the peroxidase-mediated oxidation of mitomycin C hydroquinone or products derived therefrom. Variations in the sensitivity of cells to mitomycin C have been attributed to differing levels of activating enzymes, export pumps, and DNA repair. Mitomycin C hydroquinone-oxidizing enzymes give rise to a new mechanism by which oxic/hypoxic toxicity differentials and resistance can occur.     

Nitric oxide synthesis contributes to inhibition of graft-versus-tumor-effects against intraperitoneal Meth A tumor

The role of nitric oxide (NO) in graft-versus-tumor-effect (GVT) was evaluated in the present study. GVT was induced by intravenous injection of C57BL/6J (H-2b) mouse splenocytes to {C57BL/6J (H-2b) x BALB/c (H-2d)} F1 mice bearing Meth A (H-2d) ascites tumors. Induction of GVT increased nitrite production and expression of inducible NO synthase by ascites cells. The increased nitrite production was inhibited by NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (MLA). Experiments employing immunomagnetic depletion of Mac-1+ cells from ascites indicated that macrophages were a major cellular source of the nitrite production. Interferon-gamma levels were increased in both serum and ascites fluid during GVT. Induction of GVT prolonged survival of ascites-bearing mice, and increased urinary nitrate excretion. MLA administration inhibited GVT-induced increase in urinary nitrate excretion, and further prolonged GVT-induced increase in survival. These results indicate that NO synthesis is induced in tumors during GVT, and the NO acts as an inhibitor of GVT.     

Decreased sensitivity to the hypoglycemic action of insulin in animals with a lowered blood heparin concentration

It has been shown that in animals with reduced heparin blood concentration the hypoglycemic insulin action was considerably low. This was established for rats with alloxan diabetes and ageing rats with depressed anticoagulation system and atherosclerosis enhanced by prolonged atherogenic diet. With insulin injection (0.2-0.3 U/200 g), blood sugar concentration in such animals was 2-2.5 times lower than in normal ones. The compensation of endogenous heparin deficiency by an intravenous injection of heparin normalizes the reaction of animals to exogenous insulin.     

丝裂霉素C抗性基因（mcr）的克隆及其高效表达

头状链轮丝菌（Ｓｔｒｅｐｔｏｖｅｒｔｉｃｉｌｌｉｕｍ ｃａｅｓｐｉｔｏｓｕｍ）ＡＴＣＣ２７４２２是抗肿瘤药物丝裂霉素Ｃ的主要产生菌。为了研究丝裂霉素Ｃ抗性的分子机制,实验通过鸟枪法克隆技术,从库中筛选得含有丝裂霉素Ｃ抗性基因（ｍｃｒ）的６．６ｋｂ外源片段的克隆子,对此外源片段进行一系列亚克隆,将丝裂霉素Ｃ抗性基因定位在３．１ｋｂ的片段中。序列分析的结果表明,此３．１ｋｂ外源片段中存在一长度为１３４     

The Effects of Dextrothyroxine in Diabetes

Eighteen diabetic patients were treated with dextrothyroxine (from 2 mg to 8 mg daily) for varying periods up to six months. This produced a decided reduction of serum cholesterol levels. Statistically valid comparisons were made of their fasting blood sugar levels before and after two weeks of dextrothyroxine treatment. Administration of this drug was associated with a significant elevation of fasting blood sugar levels. Good diabetic control did not preclude this adverse effect.After more prolonged treatment with the drug, 8 of the 18 patients experienced progressive deterioration of their diabetic control, necessitating increased amounts of insulin or oral drugs. Despite close observation, one patient developed acidosis.When dextrothyroxine was discontinued, there was a significant drop in blood sugar levels in these patients. Two patients had hypoglycemic reaction.When the fasting blood sugar values of the 18 patients, studied while they were receiving significant doses of dextrothyroxine, are compared with a control series of blood sugar determinations obtained on these same patients before dextrothyroxine administration was begun, the diabetogenic effect of this drug is confirmed by the highly significant difference demonstrated.Four patients were given dextrothyroxine a second time, and again experienced deterioration of diabetic control.     

Enhancement of Agrobacterium tumefaciens Infectivity by Mitomycin C

The ability of Agrobacterium tumefaciens to induce pinto leaf tumors may be enhanced two- to threefold after treatment with mitomycin C. The enhancement may be obtained with either lethal or nonlethal concentrations. With 10-min treatments, an optimal response was obtained with 0.005 mug of mitomycin C per ml in the absence of any change in the number of viable cells. Both the tumor induction process and the tumors induced by treated cultures appear qualitatively the same as controls. To account for these results, the antibiotic must increase the proportion of viable cells that will subsequently initiate tumors. One, or at most a few, random lesions in the bacterial chromosome seem to be the necessary requirement for this promotion. At mitomycin concentrations of 1 and 5 mug/ml, the ability of A. tumefaciens to initiate tumors is rapidly lost, indicating that a fairly intact bacterial chromosome is one of the essentials for the tumor induction process.     

达氟沙星在史氏鲟体内药物代谢动力学比较研究

采用高效液相色谱法测定以10mg/kg体重剂量静脉注射和口服给药后史氏鲟血浆中达氟沙星的浓度。该法采用C18色谱柱,流动相为乙腈-水相(15∶85),荧光激发波长和发射波长分别为280nm和450nm,样品用甲醇沉淀蛋白,离心取上清液进样。达氟沙星在0.005-1.0μg/mL范围内线性关系良好,本方法的最低检测限为0.005μg/mL。健康鱼单剂量静注达氟沙星(10mg/kg),其药时数据符合无吸收的三室开放模型,方程为C=5.830-5.582t+4.162-1.157t+0.852-0.029t,主要动力学参数如下:t1/2α0.552h;t1/2β22.186h;AUC34.226mg/(L.h);V 10.922L/kg;Vb10.144L/kg;ke 10.317h.Ah感染组的V1减小至0.290L/kg,静注感染组鱼体内达氟沙星的消除没有显著的改变。健康口服组数据结果符合一级吸收二室开放模型,血药浓度和时间方程为C=1.278e-0.073t+0.177e-0.089t-1.455e-0.329t。药动学常数分别为:t1/2ka9.491h,t1/2β78.267h,Tmax6.284h,Cmax0.791mg/mL;α0.073h。但Ah感染改变达氟沙星口服给药后在史氏鲟体内的吸收、分布和消除。分布速率常数降低为0.050/h。消除减慢,消除半哀期延长为93.988h,达峰时间延长为至9.060h,峰浓度降低为0.585mg/mL。口服达氟沙星水溶液,健康及感染组史氏鲟对达氟沙星生物利用度分别为96.503%和94.435%。本实验结果表明达氟沙星在健康史氏鲟体内分布广泛、吸收较完全。感染Ah对达氟沙星在史氏鲟体内的吸收、分布及消除规律均有不同程度的影响,其中口服给药的影响更为显著。达氟沙星可用于史氏鲟感染Ah的治疗。       

Induction of sister-chromatid exchanges by DNA-damaging agents and 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in synchronous Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells

Synchronous CHO cells were obtained by mitotic selection; synchrony was maintained up to the 5th cell cycle. The mitotic cells were seeded into T-25 flasks or P-60 plastic petri dishes, and cultured for 1 h at 37 degrees C, then the cells were treated by X-ray, UV light, and mitomycin C. The cells were then cultured for 2 cell cycles with TPA and BrdUrd and sister-chromatid exchanges (SCE) analyzed by the FPG method. Following X-irradiation, the frequency of induced SCE increased linearly with dose reaching a maximum of 19.8 times the control frequency after 200 rad. With higher doses, the SCE frequency declined. In the presence of TPA, SCE frequencies were 1.8 times control levels for all X-ray doses studied (0-800 rad), the frequency seen in non-irradiated cultures treated with TPA. The induced SCE frequency also increased linearly following treatment with UVL and mitomycin C, reaching levels higher than 1.8 times controls with doses exceeding 2.5 J/m2 UVL or mitomycin C (30 min). In the presence of TPA, the SCE frequencies increased to 1.8 times controls following low UVL and mitomycin C doses, but were not influenced by TPA in the higher dose range (above 2.5 J/m2 or 10(-10) M mitomycin C. Most of the SCE were induced by X-rays during the first S phase after treatment. Following higher UVL doses (5 J/m2), however, the SCE frequency remained elevated (1.5 times controls) for 4 cell cycles after exposure.