Susceptibilities of normal and malignant human lung cells in culture to the cytocidal action of antitumor agents.

Cultured normal and malignant human lung cells were examined for their different sensitivities to the cytocidal action of nine antitumor and three non-antitumor agents. The malignant cells were killed preferentially at lower concentrations and in a shorter time with each antitumor agent, Adriamycin, neocarzinostatin, bleomycin, actinomycin D, mitomycin C, carboquone, 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine, 5-fluorouracil, and 5-fluorodeoxyuridine. Among these, Adriamycin, 5-fluorouracil, and 5-fluoro-deoxyuridine exhibited a higher differential lethal action on the malignant cells than did the other antitumor agents. The two cell lines exhibited little difference in cytolytic sensitivity to non-antitumor cytotoxic agents such as amphotericin B, G-strophanthin, and alph-amanitin.