title: N,N-dimethylformamide-induced alteration of cell culture characteristics and loss of tumorigenicity in cultured human colon carcinoma cells.
abstract: Human colon carcinoma cell lines established in this laboratory were treated in vitro with N,N-dimethylformamide. This polar solvent caused morphological changes in the cells as well as alterations in their growth properties. Untreated cells had cloning efficiencies of up to 77% in soft agar; treatment with N,N-dimethylformamide resulted in a complete loss of clonogenicity in semisolid medium. Growth in the presence of the polar solvent also effected a marked reduction in the tumorigenicity of the cells. Ten of ten nude mice that received a s.c. inoculum of 1 X 10(6) untreated cells developed tumors histologically similar to colonic adenocarcinomas in 10 to 14 days, whereas nine of ten nude mice inoculated with 1 X 10(6) treated cells have shown no sign of tumor 3 to 6 months postinjection. Removal of the polar solvent from the culture medium was accompanied by the reappearance of tumorigenicity and the original cell culture characteristics. Therefore, it appears that N,N-dimethylformamide can reversibly effect the reversion of cultured human colon carcinoma cells to less malignant cell types.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D004126:Dimethylformamide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
chemical_list: D004126:Dimethylformamide