Survival of L1210 and Ehrlich ascites cancer cells after mechanical trauma is a random event.
Mechanical trauma in the microcirculation is thought to contribute to the inefficiency of the metastatic process in terms of cancer cells. In order to study some aspects of the kinetics of cancer cell destruction in passing through narrow pores, we have developed a model system in which cancer cells are passed through polycarbonate filter membranes in vitro. Filtration through 5-micron pores causes immediate internal damage, reflected in the arrest of active cellular metabolism and reproduction, followed by loss of plasma membrane integrity and, ultimately, the death of the majority of the cells. In this communication, we address the question of whether survival from mechanically initiated filtration damage is a random event, or whether it is a manifestation of a subpopulation of cells, with hereditary resistance to mechanical trauma. Studies on the patterns of cell survival after repeated filtration, and comparisons of the filtration resistance of clonal derivatives developed from filtration survivors with original 'wild' populations, indicate that survival from mechanical trauma is a random event and that resistance to trauma is a nonhereditary property.
D000818:Animals; D002286:Carcinoma, Ehrlich Tumor / Q000473:pathology*; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability; D002470:Cell Survival; D002999:Clone Cells; D004396:Coloring Agents; D007939:Leukemia L1210 / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008851:Micropore Filters; D008954:Models, Biological; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000473:pathology*; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating
D004396:Coloring Agents