Glycolytic metabolism in cultured cells of the nervous system. III. The effects of thiamine deficiency and pyrithiamine on the C-6 glioma and C-1300 neuroblastoma cell lines.

The effects of thiamine deficiency and of the antithiamine drug pyrithiamine on the C-6 glioma and the C-1300 neuroblastoma cell lines have been studied. Thiamine deficiency increased the doubling time of the neuroblastoma cells without affecting that of the glioma cells. Pyrithiamine prevented both cell lines from doubling even once. (hiamine deficiency had only slight effects on intracellular pyruvate and lactate levels or on efflux rates for the acids, but pyrithiamine treatment resulted in large increases in both the intracellular levels and the efflux in both cell lines. For comparison, the pyruvate and lactate levels in mouse brain were measured. The levels from thiamine-deficient mouse brain were essentially unchanged from controls while pyrithiamine treatment caused a significant elevation only of the pyruvate concentration.