| Abstract: | Ascite tumor cells EL-4 were incubated in conditions of energy starvation (Hanks salt solution with rothenone and without glucose) at 37 degrees C for 3 hours. Under these conditions, some structural cell damages appeared within the first hours: enlarging and flattening of the cells, blebbing, vacuolization of the cytoplasm, nuclear chromatin condensation. Later on, a share of cells with obvious damage decreased, whereas that of the cells stained with trypan blue (dead cells) much increased (up to 90% after a 3 hour incubation). The cellular ATP decreased abruptly (up to 10% of the control) during the first 10 minutes of starvation. Free Ca2+ concentration increased within 1 hour of incubation more than two-fold. The conditions promoting Ca2+ influx (ionophore A23187 + Ca2+ in medium) accelerated the damage and cell death. However, the increase in free Ca2+ concentration did not trigger any damage in the energy-starved cells, since in the Ca2(+)-depleted medium (no increase in free Ca2(+)-concentration) the development of damages was not prevented. The damage initiation was irreversible: the addition of glucose to cell suspensions after 0.5-1 hour of their incubation in energy-starved condition did not prevent the development of damage, while ATP content in these cells was much increased. |
