Effects of in vitro polyamine treatment on LDH isoenzyme patterns in Yoshida sarcoma cells and in former macrophages.

LDH isoenzyme shifts are frequently observed in several malignant neoplasm when compared with the corresponding normal tissues. In the present work, we studied LDH isoenzyme behaviour both in Yoshida cells and in founder macrophages, before and after polyamine treatment. The choice of polyamine was prompted in that these polycations also act on the enzymatic and metabolic steps. Results obtained evidenced: i) LDH activity was higher in Yoshida cells than in macrophages; ii) polyamine treatment provoked in tumour cells a very strong increase of LDH activity whereas in macrophages only a slight decrease; iii) Yoshida cells showed the presence of 4 LDH isoenzymes only.