[Cell membrane differences between malignant and nonmalignant cells]

Malignant cells possesses an electric surface charge differing from their healthy counterparts. In many cases they exhibit increased electronegativity. We incubated blood or bone marrow with heparin--a polyanion--and subsequently stained the cells with a fluorochrome. In healthy subjects or patients with non-malignant disease heparin was found to attach closely to the cell surface, visualised through fluorescence. In a variable number of malignant cells heparin did not attach to the cell surface. Electrostatic repulsion of the negative heparin molecule through the increased negativity of the malignant cell is discussed as an explanation of this finding which can be corrected/inhibited by neuraminidase incubation.