Sensitive assay for detection of toxin-induced damage to the cytoplasmic membrane of human diploid fibroblasts.

A sensitive assay was developed for detection and quantitation of subtle permeability changes in the cytoplasmic membrane of human diploid fibroblasts. Release of the non-metabolizable amino acid [1-14C]alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB; molecular weight (103) from the cytoplasm of prelabeled cells was used as an indicator of toxin-induced membrane damage. An optimal procedure for labeling these cells was designed after varying the conditions with regard to pH, temperature, concentration of AIB, composition of medium, and incubation time. Toxin-induced release of AIB was compared with release of a previously described nucleotide label, [3H]uridine. Melittin from bee venom and the polyene antibiotics filipin and amphotericin B in low concentrations induced a strikingly greater release of AIB than of nucleotide label. The sensitivity of this assay was furthermore demonstrated by treatment with the following bacterial cytolysins: phospholipase C and theta-toxin from Clostridium perfringens, alpha-, beta-, delta-, and gamma-toxins from Staphylococcus aureus, and streptolysin S from Streptococcus pyogenes. In spite of their different modes of action, all these membrane-active toxins at low concentrations induced a significant release of AIB label. For an equal release of nucleotide label, several times higher concentrations were required.