The effect of 6-hydroxydopamine on growth and viability of cultured cells of sympathetic (neuroblastoma), glial, and fibroblast origin was examined. In contrast to previous reports, inhibition of growth was not specific to neuroblastoma cells. The degree of inhibition was correlated with permeability of cell membrane to dopamine-14C or 6-hydroxydopamine-14 C and with sensitivity of the membrane...

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...