CELL-PRODUCTION RATES ESTIMATED BY THE USE OF VINCRISTINE SULPHATE AND FLOW CYTOMETRY

A new method for the evaluation of cell production rates combining flow cytometry (FCM) and the stathmokinetic method using vineristine sulphate (VS) has been used for the analysis of three aneuploid ascites tumours at different stages of growth. Using this technique it was possible to estimate the well-known decrease in cell production rates of ageing ascites tumours. The percentage of normal host cells in the aneuploid tumours studied was easily determined by FCM prior to the calculation of the tumour cell-production rates. A correlation was found between the percentage of tumour cells in the S phase and the tumour cell-production rate. This correlation is probably explained by the gradual transfer of proliferating cells in S phase to resting G₁ and G₂ phases with increasing tumour age.