Soluble cytostatic factor(s) released from human monocytes. II. Effects on target cell kinetics

Human monocytes release a stable cytostatic factor during in vitro culture after stimulation with lymphokine and endotoxin. The cell cycle time of synchronized NHIK 3025 cells increased from 20.3 to 23.2 h in the first cell cycle when the target cells were exposed to the factor during the whole cell cycle. In exponentially growing NHIK 3025 cell cultures the cell doubling time increased from 18.9 h to 23.1 h under continuous factor exposure for 70 h. These cells regained normal cell division rate when fresh culture medium replaced the cytostatic factor. Continuous exposure to the cytostatic factor for 96 h increased the cell doubling time of asynchronous K-562 cells from 19.7 to 31.8 h. The target cell DNA synthesis, evaluated by thymidine incorporation, was markedly depressed after culture with the factor for 24 h, and this depression was detectable already within 4 h of culture. The factor showed no cytolytic effect on the two cell lines tested. The cytostatic factor influenced the cell cycle distribution of both target cells tested, since cell cycle analysis by DNA flow cytometry demonstrated a reversible inhibition of factor-exposed NHIK 3025 cells in G1- and early S-phase, whereas K-562 cells accumulated in G1-phase.