Cytotoxic action of 2-deoxy-D-glucose tetraacetate upon human lymphocytes, fibroblasts and melanoma cells.

The tetraacetate ester of 2-deoxy-D-glucose was found to cause a concentration-related (10 microM to 1.0 mM) inhibition of activated T cell proliferation and decrease in viability of both unstimulated and anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Comparable findings were made in primary fibroblast cultures initiated from human skin explants. Likewise, 2-deoxy-D-glucose tetraacetate exerted a time-related (4-72 h) and concentration-related (0.1-1.0 mM) cytotoxic action upon human melanoma cells of the Colo 38 line. In this cell line, multiparameter flow cytometric analysis of cells stained with annexin V and propidium iodide revealed a necrotic, rather than apoptotic, form of cell death after exposure to 2-deoxy-D-glucose tetraacetate.