Acute effect of endogenous inhibitors and exogenous cytostatics on the ultrastructure of bone marrow cells. I. Single dose of 1,2 : 5,6-dianhydrogalactitol (DAD).

The ultrastructural effects of the endogenous inhibitor, granuloid crude extract (GCE), known to control the proliferation of myeloid cells, and of the current hexitol derivative, 1,2 : 5,6-dianhydrogalactitol (DAD) were compared on the rat bone marrow. A single intraperitoneally injected LD50 dose of DAD induces the following changes in the fine structure: The mitochondria become swollen, the matrix less electron-dense, the cristae fragmentate, the ribosomes aggregate, anomalies appear in the perinuclear the cell membranes, and myelin figures and intranuclear bodies develop. Autophagy, degeneration and the phagocytotic activity of the reticulum cells is appreciable in 4 hours after treatment and increase by the 24th hour. The toxic effect of DAD is cell aspecific but in the ultrastructure its myelotropic effect manifests earlier than in erythropoiesis. In contrast, the arrest caused by a single dose of the endogenous granuloid inhibitor [2] is cell-specific and non-toxic.