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Inhibitory effect of rhodamine B on the proliferation of human lip fibroblasts in culture.

The effect of the cosmetic dye rhodamine B on the proliferation of human lip fibroblasts (KD cells) was investigated in a culture system. Rhodamine B at 25 micrograms/ml and above significantly decreased the number of the cells after a 72 h culture. A time course study revealed that 50 micrograms/ml of rhodamine B-induced decrease in the cell number occurred after 48 h and longer, suggesting that the dye inhibited cell proliferation without a decrease in cell attachment. The detachment of [3H]thymidine-labeled cells from the monolayer was unaffected by rhodamine B at 100 micrograms/ml and below. The incorporation of [3H]thymidine and [14C]leucine into the acid-insoluble fraction of the cell layer was significantly inhibited by 50 micrograms/ml rhodamine B treatment. Histologically, the damage of KD cells was not marked, however, a degenerative change of nuclei and an irregular shape of the cells as well as a decrease in the cell number were caused by 50 micrograms/ml rhodamine B. Rhodamine 6G caused a severe damage of the cells, and rhodamine B significantly decreased the cell number; rhodamine 123 had no significant effect; rhodamine 116 significantly increased the cell number. Furthermore, rhodamine B decreased the number of both vascular endothelial cells from bovine aorta and vascular smooth muscle cells from murine aorta after a 72 h culture. It is concluded that rhodamine B inhibits the proliferation of human lip fibroblasts. This rhodamine B effect may be a warning sign for the dye toxicity.

Cell Division

Rhodamine 123 as a probe of transmembrane potential in isolated rat-liver mitochondria: spectral and metabolic properties.

The spectral and metabolic properties of Rhodamine 123, a fluorescent cationic dye used to label mitochondria in living cells, were investigated in suspensions of isolated rat-liver mitochondria. A red shift of Rhodamine 123 absorbance and fluorescence occurred following mitochondrial energization. Fluorescence quenching of as much as 75% also occurred. The red shift and quenching varied linearly with the potassium diffusion potential, but did not respond to delta pH. These energy-linked changes were accompanied by dye uptake into the matrix space. Concentration ratios, in-to-out, approached 4000:1. A large fraction of internalized dye was bound. At concentrations higher than those needed to record these spectral changes, Rhodamine 123 inhibited ADP-stimulated (State 3) respiration of mitochondria (Ki = 12 microM) and ATPase activity of inverted inner membrane vesicles (Ki = 126 microM) and partially purified F1-ATPase (Ki = 177 microM). The smaller Ki for coupled mitochondria was accounted for by energy-dependent Rhodamine 123 uptake into the matrix. Above about 20 nmol/mg protein (10 microM), Rhodamine 123 caused rapid swelling of energized mitochondria. Effects on electron-transfer reactions and coupling were small or negligible even at the highest Rhodamine 123 concentrations employed. delta psi-dependent Rhodamine 123 uptake together with Rhodamine 123 binding account for the intense fluorescent staining of mitochondria in living cells. Inhibition of mitochondria ATPase likely accounts for the cytotoxicity of Rhodamine 123. At concentrations which do not inhibit mitochondrial function, Rhodamine 123 is a sensitive and specific probe of delta psi in isolated mitochondria.

Adenosine Diphosphate

Studies on the pharmacokinetics and mutagenic potential of rhodamine B.

Rhodamine B is used as a marker dye in herbicide sprays. There is evidence that spray operators and others may absorb rhodamine B through the skin. This study was undertaken to investigate the in vivo mutagenicity of rhodamine B, to compare the in vitro mutagenicity of two commercial preparations of the dye with that of known mutagens including rhodamine 6G and to elucidate the pharmacokinetics of rhodamine B in the rabbit. Following the i.v. treatment of adult female New Zealand White rabbits with rhodamine B (1 mg/kg body wt), the plasma concentration of rhodamine B decreased rapidly and was accompanied by the appearance of at least four fluorescent polar metabolites. These metabolites, as well as a very small amount of rhodamine B, were also present in the urine which, when tested in the Ames assay was not significantly mutagenic against Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 and TA100 either with or without metabolic activation. Urine from a human subject who had been contaminated with marker dye was also non-mutagenic. Both commercial preparations of rhodamine B were found to be weakly mutagenic, using the same assay system. It is concluded that while appropriate hygiene measures should be exercised by users of products containing this dye, the results do not support the hypothesis that rhodamine B is a genotoxic hazard in the mammalian organism.

Adult

Tumors of diverse histology are sensitive to rhodamine 123 laser phototherapy in vitro.

Rhodamine 123 has been shown to be an efficient photosensitizer for the argon laser treatment of a human squamous carcinoma and a melanoma cell line in vitro. Rhodamine 123 laser phototherapy also eradicates these human squamous cell carcinomas when grown as subcutaneous tumor transplants in athymic mice. This study extends these observations by testing a panel of 19 human tumor cell lines of various histologic origins for in vitro sensitivity to rhodamine 123 and the argon laser. Rhodamine 123 with an absorption maxima of 502 nm in water was found to undergo a redshift to 516 nm after uptake by the mitochondria of human tumor cells. Rhodamine 123-sensitized brain tumor cells were inhibited by over 80% after 15 seconds and by 98% after 60 seconds of laser exposure (514.5 nm, 4 W, Tmax = 39 degrees C), as measured by reduced [3H]thymidine incorporation into cellular DNA. Laser or rhodamine 123 alone did not significantly inhibit (greater than 20%) tumor cell [3H]thymidine uptake. Sensitization with 20 micrograms rhodamine 123 for 1 hour before 45 seconds of laser illumination decreased cell [3H]thymidine uptake by 40% to 99% in four melanoma lines, five carcinomas, five leukemias, and four of five other human tumor lines. Two melanomas, two leukemias, and a lymphoma cell line also exhibited a 70% to 80% reduction in [3H]thymidine uptake after sensitization in vitro with 1 microgram/mL rhodamine 123 and laser illumination. Rhodamine 123-sensitized tumor cells were inhibited even more strongly by fractional dose laser irradiation at nonthermal temperatures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cell Line

Mutagenic activity of rhodamine dyes and their impurities as detected by mutation induction in Salmonella and DNA damage in Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Commercial rhodamine dyes 6G and B induce His+ reversion mutations in Salmonella and single-strand breaks in Chinese hamster ovary cells, as detected by alkaline sucrose sedimentation. Aroclor 1254-induced rat liver homogenate (S9) is required for production of genetic activity by these dyes. Rhodamine 6G induces both frameshift and base substitution mutations, whereas rhodamine B induces only frameshift mutations. Rhodamine 6G is genetically more active and more toxic than is rhodamine B in both the bacterial and mammalian assays. Rhodamine 6G and B induce doublings of His+ revertants in Salmonella at the doses of 0.02 and 0.52 mumol/plate and shifts in the molecular weight of Chinese hamster ovary DNA at concentrations of 9 x 10(-5) and 9 x 10(-4) M, respectively. All genetic effects assayed demonstrate dose-related increases. Further testing of the pure dyes in Salmonella revealed that rhodamine B loses most of its mutagenicity with purification, whereas rhodamine 6G does not. Impurities from commercial rhodamine B demonstrate the same extent of mutagenicity as the commercial dye.

Animals

Relevance of the chemical charge of rhodamine dyes to multiple drug resistance.

Previously, we have shown that multiple drug resistant (MDR) Friend leukemia cells (FLC) are cross-resistant to the positively-charged dye, Rhodamine 123 (Rho 123), and that this resistance can be reversed by verapamil (VER). In the present study we used two zwitterionic rhodamine analogs, Rhodamine 116 and Rhodamine 110, and another positively-charged analog, Rhodamine 6G, to determine whether drug accumulation, resistance and modulation were affected by changes in the charge of these compounds. While there was no differential sensitivity between sensitive and resistant FLC to zwitterionic rhodamines, there was marked differential toxicity between these cell types for the positively-charged analogs. The IC50 values were 1000- and 100-fold greater in resistant than in sensitive cells for Rho 123 and Rho 6G respectively. Intracellular drug accumulation was significantly higher in sensitive as compared to resistant cells for both Rho 123 and Rho 6G, but little difference in drug uptake between these two cell types was observed for Rho 110 and Rho 116. It was also found that the intracellular to extracellular ratio of the positively-charged compounds was greater than unity in both sensitive and resistant cells whereas for the zwitterionic analogs this ratio was less than 1. Furthermore, this ratio of drug uptake was found to be significantly higher for Rho 6G than for Rho 123, which correlated with the high oil:water partition coefficient of Rho 6G (115.6). In MDR cells, verapamil increased Rho 123 and Rho 6G accumulation by 9.4- and 8.6-fold respectively. In addition, IC50 values in resistant cells were reduced greater than 100-fold for Rho 6G and greater than 1000-fold for Rho 123 in the presence of 10 micrograms/ml of verapamil. In contrast, less than 2-fold reduction of IC50 values for both of the zwitterionic analogs could be obtained under the same conditions. These results indicate that the chemical charge of rhodamines plays an important role in their differential accumulation, cytotoxicity and sensitivity to modulators such as verapamil, in sensitive and multi-drug resistant cells. The data also suggest that increased lipophilicity of the positively-charged rhodamines may increase their ability to accumulate in, and subsequently kill, MDR cells.

Animals

Estradiol decreases retention of rhodamine 123 fluorescence in GH4C1 pituitary tumor cells.

Rhodamine 123 is a lipophilic cationic fluorescent dye that localizes in mitochondria. We found that 17 beta-estradiol changes the ability of GH4C1 cells, clonal rat pituitary tumor cells, to retain rhodamine 123. Cells incubated with 10 micrograms/ml rhodamine 123 for 30 min at 37 C took up about equal amounts of rhodamine 123, as determined by fluorescence microscopy, regardless of whether they had been treated with estradiol. After three 5-min washes at 37 C, cells treated with 1 nM estradiol for 7 days before incubation with rhodamine 123 had lost more fluorescence than untreated cells. We further characterized the effect by flow cytometry. The difference in fluorescence between control and treated cells ranged from 50- to 500-fold. The effect of estradiol was maximal at 10(-10) M and took a week to develop fully. The effect is specific for estradiol, because estradiol and diethylstilbestrol reduced retention of rhodamine 123 fluorescence at 10(-10) M, but the same concentrations of dihydrotestosterone, progesterone, dexamethasone, and cholesterol did not. To test if the effect on rhodamine 123 fluorescence was caused by activation of the multidrug resistance transport system, we examined the effect of estradiol on the retention of daunomycin, a known substrate of the transport system. Estradiol treatment caused a 3-fold decrease in daunomycin fluorescence. We isolated clones resistant to estradiol-induced loss of rhodamine 123 fluorescence by flow cytometry and found that two clones still showed an estradiol-induced decrease in daunomycin fluorescence equivalent to that of the parent line.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

In vitro inhibition of rat brain protein kinase C by rhodamine 6G. Profound effects of the lipid cofactor on the inhibition of the enzyme.

Rhodamine 6G inhibited protein kinase C (PKC) when the enzyme was activated by Ca2+ plus phosphatidylserine, 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) or mezerein plus phosphatidylserine, Ca2+ plus arachidonic acid, or arachidonic acid alone. Rhodamine 6G did not affect protein kinase C activity in the absence of lipid cofactor and, thus, does not appear to inhibit the enzyme through direct interactions with the active site. The inhibitory potency of the drug was affected dramatically by the nature of the lipid cofactor. Thus, 50 microM rhodamine 6G inhibited the Ca2+ plus arachidonic acid dependent protein kinase activity approximately 50%, whereas 800 microM rhodamine 6G was required to cause 50% inhibition of the Ca2+ plus phosphatidylserine dependent protein kinase activity. These results, along with studies demonstrating a reversal of inhibition by high lipid concentrations, provide evidence that rhodamine 6G exerts its inhibitory effect on PKC through drug-lipid interactions. The dramatic effect of the lipid cofactor on the potency of rhodamine 6G as a PKC inhibitor suggests that the lipid environment of the cell may profoundly affect the abilities of rhodamine 6G and related cationic lipophilic drugs to inhibit PKC in vivo.

Animals

Transport of the cationic fluorochrome rhodamine 123 in an insect's Malpighian tubule: indications of a reabsorptive function of the secondary cell type.

The pathway of rhodamine 123 was examined after injection into Sarcophaga flies and after in vitro labeling of the Malpighian tubules. After in vitro labeling the primary cells only retained this potential-sensitive dye for a short period while all secondary cells accumulated the dye from the tubule lumen. In vivo the secondary cells also accumulated rhodamine 123 from the lumen, but the primary cells in the distal parts of all four tubules retained the dye for prolonged periods. This was most pronounced in the distal part of the anterior Malpighian tubules, where rhodamine 123 was eventually precipitated on the luminal concretions. Rhodamine 123 initially accumulated in the secondary cell mitochondria and eventually in intensely fluorescing vesicles, probably lysosomes. No evidence for endocytotic processes from the lumen was found using Lucifer Yellow CH, fluorescent dextrans and fluorescent albumin. Prior incubation with the ionophores valinomycin, nigericin, CCCP (all 1 micrograms/ml), dinitrophenol (1 mM) and NaN3 (10(-2) M) inhibited the selective accumulation of rhodamine 123 to a large extent while monensin (1-5 micrograms/ml) showed little inhibitory effect. Furthermore, only cationic and no anionic or neutral dyes were accumulated by the secondary cells. In the fleshfly Calliphora and the fruitfly Drosophila, the dye rhodamine 123 also selectively accumulated in the secondary cells, as well in vitro as in vivo.

2,4-Dinitrophenol

Action of gossypol and rhodamine 123 on wild type and multidrug-resistant MCF-7 human breast cancer cells: 31P nuclear magnetic resonance and toxicity studies.

The action of gossypol, a polyphenolic bisnaphthalene aldehyde, on a number of drug-sensitive and multidrug-resistant cell lines, in particular MCF-7 WT and MCF-7 ADR cells, was studied and compared to the effects of rhodamine 123. 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of cells exposed to low concentrations of gossypol exhibited decreased levels of ATP, markedly increased levels of pyridine nucleotides, and decreased levels of glycerylphosphocholine. The latter effect may be related to the membrane viscosity-increasing effect of gossypol, whereas changes in the levels of pyridine nucleotides are probably due to an interference with NAD- and NADP-dependent enzymes. The effect of gossypol represents a rare example of selective and differentiated changes observed in 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of cells following exposure to a drug; the effect was markedly different from that of rhodamine 123, which caused ATP depletion but no changes in the levels of glycerylphosphocholine or pyridine nucleotides. Also, the effects of gossypol and rhodamine 123 on glucose metabolism in the MCF-7 WT cells were different. Thus although both drugs caused a marked elevation of glucose uptake, an increase in lactate production exceeding that of glucose consumption, indicating an inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation, was observed only in the case of rhodamine 123. Significantly, multidrug-resistant cells exhibited strong cross-resistance to rhodamine but practically no resistance to gossypol, which emphasizes the attractiveness of the latter as a potential anticancer drug. The resistance to rhodamine 123 and sensitivity to gossypol was also observed with cells transfected with the MDR1 gene, showing that the difference in toxicity is mainly due to the different response to the P-170 drug efflux pump.

Animals

Rhodamine 123 and flow cytometry to monitor the cytotoxic actions of nucleoside analogues in nondividing human lymphocytes.

We used human lymphocytes from the peripheral blood of normal individuals to compare the cytolytic actions of 2-chloro-2'-deoxyadenosine (2-Cl-dAdo) and 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosylguanine (ara-G). Membrane integrity was ascertained by flow cytometric quantification of the cells' uptake of the fluorescent mitochondria-specific probe rhodamine 123. Addition of 10 microM ara-G to lymphocyte cultures led to a progressive decline in the number of cells that could assimilate rhodamine 123, and after 2 days exposure to drug less than 50% of the cells showed normal staining compared to untreated cells. 2-Cl-dAdo had similar cytotoxic effects at a 0.1 microM concentration. Under the same conditions trypan blue revealed only a 10-20% toxic effect by these drugs. Using rhodamine 123 in combination with the vital stain propidium iodide, we found that 90% of the cells with abnormal rhodamine 123 uptake also stained with propidium iodide. The changes in membrane permeability to fluorescent dyes correlated with the loss of lymphocyte ability to respond to the plant mitogen phytohemagglutinin. Our data indicate that rhodamine 123 is a more sensitive probe than trypan blue for ascertaining early loss of the membrane integrity of dying lymphocytes. Combined with flow cytometry, rhodamine 123 uptake represents a simple and rapid method for identifying the important biochemical events associated with the cytocidal and cytostatic effect of drugs against normal and leukemic cells.

Arabinonucleosides

Inhibition of tumor high-energy phosphate metabolism by insulin combined with rhodamine 123.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the energy metabolism of an experimental rodent sarcoma was selectively depressed by the combination of inhibition of glycolysis and respiration. In vivo phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to monitor the response of tumor or brain high-energy phosphate compounds to insulin hypoglycemia, rhodamine 123, or both agents in fasting rats with subcutaneous methylcholanthrene-induced sarcomas. Insulin or rhodamine 123 alone produced a similar 50% to 60% reduction in tumor adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration compared with controls injected with saline solution (p less than 0.05, one-way analysis of variance [ANOVA]). The combination of insulin plus rhodamine 123 resulted in a 90% reduction of tumor ATP concentration, which was significantly different from the effect of either agent alone (p less than 0.05, one-way ANOVA). Brain phosphocreatine and ATP concentrations were unchanged by these agents. Administration of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)/glycerol, the vehicle for rhodamine, produced a 35% reduction of tumor ATP, which was similar to the effect of insulin alone but significantly different from rhodamine. The combination of DMSO/glycerol plus insulin hypoglycemia resulted in a 70% reduction in tumor ATP, which was significantly elevated compared with the combination of rhodamine plus insulin. Glucose deprivation induced by insulin, and combined with the inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation, produces an additive depression of tumor energetics. The drug vehicle DMSO/glycerol significantly depresses tumor energy metabolism, presumably because of its DMSO component, which may explain the previously reported antineoplastic efficacy of this solvent. Combinations of inhibitors directed at different points of tumor metabolism produced an enhanced depression of tumor energetics, whereas host tissue was protected.

Adenosine Triphosphate

Isolation of spleen-colony forming cells (CFU-s) using wheat germ agglutinin and rhodamine 123 labeling.

Mouse pluripotent hemopoietic stem cells could be enriched 100 to 200-fold by a procedure consisting of three steps: 1) equilibrium density centrifugation, 2) light-activated cell sorting on the basis of light scatter characteristics and fluorescence due to wheat germ agglutinin binding, 3) cell sorting after subsequent rhodamine 123 staining. The new isolation procedure does not make use of antibodies with mouse-strain restricted applicability, which were employed in earlier described methods. Therefore, it is more versatile. It is also faster due to diminished incubation time. Rhodamine 123 can also be used as a photosensitizer. The experimental conditions were, however, designed to prevent this action of the dye. Between 80% and 100% of the selected spleen-colony forming cells survived the labeling and sorting treatments. The procedure enriches for two types of stem cells. The rhodamine-dull fraction contains stem cells that form spleen colonies in lethally irradiated mice at 12-16 days and no spleen colonies at 8 days after transplantation. The rhodamine-bright fraction contains stem cells that give day-8 and day-12 spleen colonies. These latter cells, however, have a low radioprotective capacity and it can be argued that these are not self-renewing pluripotent stem cells. The heterogeneity of day-12 CFU-s (colony-forming unit spleen) that can be detected after labeling with rhodamine 123 has been observed earlier after treatment of bone marrow donor mice with 5-fluorouracil, and has led to the postulation of pre-CFU-s and a "generation-age" hypothesis for stem cells. Our presently sorted rhodamine dull cells resemble such pre-CFU-s.

Animals

Inhibition of mitochondrial respiration by cationic rhodamines as a possible teratogenicity mechanism.

Exposure of mice to cationic rhodamines, Rh 123 and Rh 6G, has been found to be associated with developmental toxicity, while neutral rhodamines (e.g., Rh B) had no such effect. When mouse embryos from dams given ip injections of Rh 123, Rh 6G (15 mg/kg), or Rh B (30 mg/kg) on gestation Day (GD) 10 were examined, Rh 123, Rh 6G were present in embryonic tissue in fluorescent bodies within the average dimensions of mitochondria. Rh B was evenly distributed in the cytoplasm. With in vitro exposure of isolated mitochondria to rhodamines on GD 12, 3-4 times more Rh 123 was associated with mitochondria under energized conditions than under nonenergized conditions; the amount of Rh 6G associated with mitochondria was much less under either condition. Treatment of pregnant mice (ip) with Rh 123 (15 mg/kg/day) or Rh 6G (0.5 mg/kg/day) on GD 7-10 resulted in inhibition of state 3 respiration of embryonic mitochondria isolated on GD 12. When isolated embryonic mitochondria were exposed to the cationic rhodamines, inhibition of state 3 respiration was dose dependent. With 5 micrograms of Rh 123/mg mitochondrial protein, state 3 respiration decreased by 31%, while Rh 6G (1 microgram/mg) decreased state 3 respiration by 27%. In vivo exposure of maternal liver mitochondria to cationic rhodamines did not result in inhibition of respiration 2 days later, whereas in vitro results were similar to those for embryonic mitochondria. In vivo or in vitro exposure to Rh B had no effects on mitochondrial respiration. These results indicate that interference with embryonic energy metabolism is a possible mechanism by which cationic rhodamines exert adverse effects on embryogenesis.

Animals

Rhodamine B inhibits collagen synthesis by human lip fibroblasts in culture.

To investigate the effect of the cosmetic dye, rhodamine B, on the metabolism of collagen in fibroblasts, confluent KD cells, an established cell line of fibroblasts from human lip, were cultured for 6 h in a serum-free medium in the presence of the dye at 100 micrograms/ml and below. It was found that rhodamine B significantly decreased the content of procollagen type I C-terminal peptide antigen in both the cell layer and the medium with an only slight decrease in the cell number. Rhodamine B significantly decreased the incorporation of [3H]proline into either the collagen-digestible protein or the non-collagen protein in the cell layer. The incorporation of both [3H]thymidine and [14C]leucine into the acid-insoluble fraction of the cell layer was significantly decreased by rhodamine B; the activity of lactate dehydrogenase that leaked into the medium was not changed by the dye. From these results, it was suggested that rhodamine B has the capacity of decreasing the collagen content of the fibroblast cell layer of the human lip, which may result from a non-specific inhibition of protein synthesis without non-specific cell damage. Rhodamine B may impair the formation of extracellular matrix which is important for the maintenance of the lip tissue.

Cell Count

Comparative developmental toxicity of cationic and neutral rhodamines in mice.

Rhodamines 123 and 6G (Rh 123 and Rh 6G) are cationic fluorescent dyes that inhibit oxidative phosphorylation following their selective accumulation within mitochondria. Neutral rhodamines (e.g., Rh 116 and Rh B) do not share these properties. To determine if cationic and neutral rhodamines differ in their effect on mammalian development, pregnant CD-1 mice were injected i.p. with Rh 123, Rh B, or Rh 116 at doses of 15 mg/kg/day. The rhodamines were given alone or in combination with 500 mg/kg/day 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DOG), an inhibitor of glycolysis, daily on gestation days 7-10 (copulation plug = day 1). Additional pregnant mice were similarly treated with Rh 6G at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg/day. Controls were given saline equimolar to the dose of 2-DOG. Treatment with Rh 6G, alone or in combination with 2-DOG, significantly increased the incidences of prenatal mortality (17% and 35%, respectively) when compared with the control incidence (6%). Treatment with Rh 123 or Rh 6G, alone or with 2-DOG, inhibited fetal growth. Treatment with the neutral rhodamines had little effect on prenatal survival or growth. Exposure to Rh 6G, with or without 2-DOG, was associated with high incidences of gross malformations (41% and 61%, respectively). Rh 116 or Rh B, with or without 2-DOG, and Rh 123 alone were not associated with statistically significant teratogenic effects, but results of the latter treatment were suggestive of such an effect (9.1% grossly malformed fetuses vs. 0% for controls). The incidences of skeletal malformations were significantly increased in the test groups given Rh 6G + 2-DOG, Rh 123 + 2-DOG, or Rh 6G alone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced

Use of rhodamine 123 to label and lesion interstitial cells of Cajal in canine colonic circular muscle.

The role of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) is difficult to determine because these cells are not easily identified by light microscopy, and there are no compounds available to specifically lesion ICC. Ultrastructural studies have shown an abundance of mitochondria in ICC. Therefore, we have used rhodamine 123, a fluorescent dye that is specifically accumulated by mitochondria, to identify ICC in canine proximal colon. This technique provided good discrimination between ICC and smooth muscle cells, but enteric neurons were labeled with rhodamine 123. This compound has cytotoxic properties in some cells. Therefore, we treated intact muscle strips with rhodamine 123 while recording intracellular electrical activity from circular muscle cells. Uptake of rhodamine 123 by ICC was associated with an alteration in electrical rhythmicity. These data suggest that rhodamine 123 may be a useful tool for visualizing and perhaps chemically lesioning ICC.

Animals