Effect of dopamine and 6-hydroxydopamine on mouse neuroblastoma cells in vitro.

Dopamine and to a much greater extent, 6-hydroxydopamine reduced the growth of the mouse neuroblastoma cell population in vitro but did not induce morphological differentiation. The growth inhibition at a lower drug concentration was primarily due to inhibition of cell multiplication, which was reversible. L-Dopa, norepinephrine, epinephrine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, or homovanillic acid at a similar concentration did not affect the growth of the neuroblastoma cell population in vitro. Dopamine and 6-hydroxydopamine have little or no effect on the growth of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) and baby hamster kidney (BHK-21) cell populations in vitro.