Ultrastructural Aspects of Autoschizis: A New Cancer Cell Death Induced by the Synergistic Action of Ascorbate/Menadione on Human Bladder Carcinoma Cells

• Published in: Ultrastructural pathology Vol. 25; no. 3; pp. 183 - 192
• Main Author: Jacques Gilloteaux, James M. Jamison, David Arnold, Henryk S. Taper, Jack L. Summers
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Informa UK Ltd 2001; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Ascorbic Acid - pharmacology; Autoschizis Bladder Tumor Cell Death T24 Ultrastructure Vitamins; Carcinoma - physiopathology; Carcinoma - ultrastructure; Cell Death; Drug Synergism; Humans; Microscopy, Electron; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Tumor Cells, Cultured - drug effects; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms - physiopathology; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms - ultrastructure; Vitamin K 3 - pharmacology
• ISSN: 0191-3123; 1521-0758
• DOI: 10.1080/019131201300343810

Scanning and transmission electron microscopy were employed to further characterize the cytotoxic effects of a ascorbic acid/ menadione (or vitamin C/vitamin K3) combination on a human bladder carcinoma T24 cell line. Following 1-h treatment T24 cells display membrane and mitochondrial defects as well as excision of cytoplasmic fragments that contain no organelles. These continuous self-excisions reduce the cell size. Concomitant, nuclear changes, chromatin disassembly, nucleolar condensation and fragmentation, and decreased nuclear volume lead to cell death via a process similar to karyorrhexis and karyolysis. Because this cell death is achieved through a progressive loss of cytoplasm due to self-morsellation, the authors named this mode of cell death autoschizis (from the Greek autos, self, and schizein, to split, as defined in Scanning. 1998; 20: 564-575). This morphological characterization of autoschizic cell death confirms and extends the authors previous reports and demonstrates that this cell death is distinct from apoptosis.