Cell fusion, haemolysis and mitochondrial swelling induced by retinol and derivatives

A comparative study has been made of the abilities of retinol and its derivatives to induce cell fusion and haemolysis of hen erythrocytes and to cause swelling of rat liver mitochondria. Retinol, retinaldehyde, alpha-retinoic acid, iso-13-retinol and to a lesser extent retinyl acetate were active in all three systems. Iso-13-retinoic acid was extremely membranolytic but did not produce stable fused cells. By contrast retinoic acid, its cyclopentyl derivative RO8-7699, and the long chain fatty acid esters of retinol, viz. the oleate, linoleate and palmitate esters, were neither fusogenic nor haemolytic, nor did they affect mitochondria.