The effects of vinblastine in assessment of the influence of age on proliferative activity of murine palate and footpad epithelium.

Data concerning changes in the rate of cell proliferation of stratified epithelia with increasing age are conflicting. In the present study young (3-month-old) and old (22-month-old) C57Bl/6NNia male mice were injected intraperitoneally with 2, 3, 4 or 8 mg vinblastine sulfate/kg body weight and killed after 1.5, 3, 4.5 or 6 h. The number of arrested metaphase figures per 1000 basal cells was counted in histological sections. Data were analysed using a multivariate analysis of variance. There was a significant difference between the accumulation of mitotic figures in footpad epidermis and palate epithelium and both tissues contained an increased number of mitotic figures with increasing periods of accumulation at all dose levels. In the footpad epidermis neither the age of the animal nor the dose of vinblastine had a significant effect on the number of mitotic figures. In contrast, for palate epithelium the accumulation of mitotic figures was significantly less in the old mice compared with the young mice and at a dose of vinblastine of 2 mg/kg compared with the higher doses. There was a statistically significant interaction between the dose of vinblastine and its period of action. It was concluded that the different tissues manifest a differential sensitivity to vinblastine and that only palate epithelium showed a significant reduction in proliferative activity with age.