title: Modulation of membrane fluidity and lipidic metabolism in transformed rat fibroblasts induced by the sesquiterpenic hormone farnesylacetone.
abstract: Farnesylacetone is a natural terpene extracted from androgenic glands of the crustacean Carcinus maenas and is capable of inhibiting proliferation, notably in transformed mammalian cells. Flow cytometry with three lipophilic probes, diphenylhexatriene, trimethylammonium-diphenylhexatriene, and Nile red, has revealed modifications of the lipidic metabolism in transformed FR3T3-mTT4 rat fibroblasts treated by farnesylacetone, including changes in membrane fluidity. Farnesylacetone strongly increased the number of neutral lipidic droplets in the cytoplasm. Moreover, after prolonged terpene treatment, the membrane fraction of cells contained a substantial level of triglycerides. Farnesylacetone provoked an immediate but transitory increase in membrane fluidity of the cell membrane. The change in measured lipid fluidity appears to be due to these triglycerides rather than to the phospholipids.
authors.affiliation: Endocrinologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire de la Reproduction CNRS URA1449, Université P.M. Curie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Rodes
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berreur-Bonnenfant
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trémolières
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000032:analysis; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D004161:Diphenylhexatriene / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005454:Fluorescence Polarization; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008560:Membrane Fluidity / Q000187:drug effects*; D010078:Oxazines; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000737:chemistry; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D013696:Temperature; D013729:Terpenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D010078:Oxazines; D010743:Phospholipids; D013729:Terpenes; D014280:Triglycerides; D004161:Diphenylhexatriene; C033628:1-(4-(trimethylamino)phenyl)-6-phenylhexa-1,3,5-triene; C014549:farnesylacetone; D002784:Cholesterol; C044808:nile red