Influence of colchicine and cytochalasin B on pinocytosis, phagocytosis, and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity.

The cytoskeleton is an organelle of eukaryotic cells engaged in organization and external and internal cell movements, e.g., endocytosis. Our previous experiments proved that colchicine (an antitubular drug) and cytochalasin B (cyt B, an antimicrofilament agent) have significant influence on the development of the process [8, 9]. Reports on the inhibiting effect of the development of antibody-dependent cellmediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) are inconsistent. The aim of the present work was to examine the influence of colchicine and cyt B on the development and mutual dependence of pinocytosis, phagocytosis, and cytotoxic effect. Peritoneal resident cells (PRC) isolated from Swiss mice were used as effector cells in our experiments. Macrophages constituted 60%-80% of this cell population. PRC at a concentration of4x 106/ml were incubated 2 h in MEM in 37°C, 5% CO2 with addition of: (a) colchicine 10-6 M; (b) cyt B 4 f..lg/m1; and (c) pure medium (control).