PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - DAVID W. END AU - KENNETH THOURSEN AU - WILLIAM L. DEWEY AU - RICHARD A. CARCHMAN TI - A Comparative Study of the Disposition of (-)-Δ<sup>9</sup>-Tetrahydrocannabinol in Neuroblastoma and Glioma Cells in Tissue Culture: Relation to Cellular Impairment DP - 1977 Sep 01 TA - Molecular Pharmacology PG - 864--871 VI - 13 IP - 5 4099 - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/13/5/864.short 4100 - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/13/5/864.full SO - Mol Pharmacol1977 Sep 01; 13 AB - (-)-Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) at a concentration of 100 µM irreversibily inhibited the proliferation of mouse neuroblastoma (NB2A) cells in tissue culture. Only a 60% reduction in rat glioma (C6) cell proliferation was observed at 100 µM Δ9-THC, which could be reversed by removing the drug. Dose-dependent inhibition of protein, RNA, and DNA synthesis, accompanied by inhibition of precursor uptake, was observed in NB2A cells at 1, 10, and 100 µM Δ9-THC, with the highest concentration of drug producing greater than 90% inhibition of DNA and RNA synthesis. Inhibition of DNA and RNA synthesis to less than 50% of control was observed only at 100 µM Δ9-THC in C6 cells. The pattern of subcellular distribution of [3H]Δ9-THC in NB2A cells did not differ appreciably from the distribution of the radioactive drug in C6 cells. In both cell lines, a large amount of intracellularly bound [3H]Δ9-THC appeared in the crude nuclear fractions. NB2A cells displayed a 10-fold greater uptake of drug. This enhanced uptake of drug could be related to the greater sensitivity of NB2A cells to inhibition of growth and macromolecular synthesis by Δ9-THC as compared with the C6 cells.