Disturbance of energy transfer as a factor promoting changes in the biologic behavior of tumor cells.

The chemical binding point of Janus green B, a selective stain of mitochondria, has been studied on rat liver mitochondria. More than 90 percent of the dye was bound by a specific lipoprotein fraction, the so-called coenzyme Q-lipoprotein. The biologic effect of the incubation at 38~ of a mixture composed of Janus green B and ascitic fluid depends on the concentration of oxygen in the gaseous portion of the incubation system. After incubation in pure 0 2 atmosphere, the ascites tumor fails to develop in healthy animals and their survival time is prolonged over 200 days. It was demonstrated in earlier experiments that in such cases the infected animals develop leukemia or hepatic malignancy after a latency period of some length. The viability of Janus green B-treated tumor cells was unaffected when the incubation was p~rformed in air atmosphere. No biologic changes, such as those observed at 38~ occurred when Amytal ascites tumor cells were incubated with Janus green B at 2~ in pure oxygen atmosphere. However, exposure to visible light of this system interfered with the growth of the tumors; the rate of tumor formation seemed to be inversely related and the survival time proportional to the period of illumination. This effect was canceled by placing a solution of Janus green B in the path of the light as a filter. As an interpretation of these phenomena, it is suggested that the transfer of energy produced during the biologic oxidation is disturbed. The mechanism of oxygen effect is discussed in detail since it plays a fundamental role in the development of pathologic energy transfer.