Growth arrest and polyploidization induced by metahalone microtubule inhibitors on rat glioma cells in culture.

Two pyrimidine analogs (metahalones) NY 3163, NY 3170 have been tested for their effects on the growth of rat glioma cells in monolayer and in spheroid culture. Both substances have earlier been found to inhibit the microtubule system in malignant cells. In glioma cells, arrest of mitosis was accompanied by repeated cycles of DNA synthesis, leading to different levels of polyploidization up to 16 and 32 ploid cells. The effect was not reversible through a culture period of 4 days. Reduced ability of directional migration of cells on a plastic surface was seen for 16 days after exposure. The reaction to microtubule inhibitors seems to differ depending on the type of tumour cells, where some malignant cells have earlier been reported to escape mitotic arrest and proceed to the next G1 phase, in contrast to the present glioma cells which undergo polyploidization.