[Specificity of morphological changes and DNA degradation in the Ehrlich ascite carcinoma cells exposed to various...

Using the Ehrlich ascite carcinoma cells, exposed to oxidative stress, heat shock, cytochalasin B, vinblastine, Triton X-100 and energy starvation, morphological changes, DNA degradation, and form of cell death were investigated. A rather clear specificity of cell morphology, characteristic of apoptosis, was revealed for the most of treatments, including membrane blebs, chromatin condensation and apoptotic body formation. Karyorhexis was not common for the examined cells. After energy starvation, oxidative stress, heat shock and Triton X-100 treatment, the apoptotic cells were seen to undergo secondary necrosis rather soon; this was not the case after cytochalasin B or vinblastine treatments. In cells exposed to heat shock, cellular pyknosis was frequently developed. Such cells did not undergo secondary necrosis for a long time. The DNA degradation in cells occurred in chaotic manner (without ladder pattern). The fraction of degraded DNA corresponded to that of cells undergoing secondary necrosis.