Microcinematographic study on the effect of methotrexate upon mouse mammary tumor cells (MMT cell line)

The effect of methotrexate (amethopterin) upon the MMT cell line was studied by time-lapse microcinematography, the plasma levels obtained after systemic administration of maximum tolerated doses of the drug in man being simulated in vitro. Cells in the logarithmic growth phase (large growth fraction population) were widely affected, although enough drug-resistant cells remained to regenerate the cell colony. Cells in the preconfluent growth phase (small growth fraction population) were less effected, because many cells were arrested at the GO-hase, outside the cell cycle. A drug-resistant colony always developed, making the drug therapy useless. The experiments showed that rescue treatment with leucovorin (citrovorum factor of folinic acid) was not effective either, because, at least on our experimental conditions, recovery of the mitotic activity was more rapid and the number of degenerating cells smaller with rescur treatment than with the conventional treatment. The results also suggested a new mechanism of methotrexate action in addition to the classic one of folic acid inhibition, which might consist in the inhibition of the production of formyl-methionyl-tRNA, part of the initiation complex in protein biosynthesis.