Cytotoxic effects of protease inhibitors on human cells. 1. High sensitivity of xeroderma pigmentosum cells to antipain.

Antipain had little effect on UV-survival and UV-induced sister chromatid exchanges in normal and xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) cells, suggesting that it may not affect DNA repair. Antipain itself produced a small, but significant, amount of sister chromatid exchanges. XP cells showed very high sensitivity to the cytotoxic effect of antipain, but an SV40-transformed XP cell strain did not demonstrate high sensitivity.