Effects of pentadecan-2-one on the growth of cells in culture.

The effect of inclusion of trace amounts of pentadecan-2-one in the incubation medium on the growth of HeLa Cells was evaluated by measuring viable cell counts (cells excluding trypan blue) and incorporation of [14C] leucine into acid precipitable protein. Evidence is presented to show that exposure of the cells to trace amounts of the methyl ketone, 36mug/ml, effectively inhibits cell growth. This inhibition is relieved by simultaneously incubating the cells with a long chain primary alcohol, hexadecan-1- o1, but not with the secondary alcohol, pentadecan-2-o1. The observation that the ethyl ketone, hexadecan-3-one, also inhibits cell growth but at higher concentrations than that observed with pentadecan-2-one and that pentadecan-2-o1 at similar concentrations has no effect on cell growth indicates that, for optimal effect, the keto function must be at the 2-position. Inhibition of cell growth by pentadecan-2-one is not unique to HeLa cells, as suggested by the inhibitory effects of this lipid type on the growth of other malignant cell lines of human origin.