Differential chemical protection of mammalian cells from the exotoxins of Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Many drugs or chemicals had markedly different effects on the cytotoxicity induced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A (PE) or Corynebacterium diphtheriae exotoxin (DE). The glycolytic inhibitor NaF protected cells from DE but potentiated the cytotoxicity of PE. Another energy inhibitor, salicylic acid, also protected cells from DE but had no effect with PE. Colchicine and colcemid did not affect the cytotoxicity of either toxin. Cytochalasin B exhibited a modest protection from DE but no effect with PE. Ouabain, a specific inhibitor of the Na+, K+-dependent adenosine 5'-triphosphatase (ATPase), did not affect the cytotoxicity of either toxin. Ruthenium red, a specific inhibitor of the Ca2+, Mg2+,-dependent ATPase, conferred marked protection from DE-induced cytotoxicity but did not affect PE-induced cytotoxicity. A number of local anesthetics were tested, and they too presented differential results with PE and DE. Most chemicals that affected toxin-induced cytotoxicity had little or no influence on the in vitro adenosine 5'-diphosphate-ribosylation catalyzed by either toxin. This work presents further evidence that PE and DE have different mechanisms of intoxication and suggests that these differences lie in the attachment or internalization stages of intoxication.