CELLS FORM AND THEIR SENSITIVITY TO LYTIC ACTIVITY OF NATURAL KILLER CELLS UNDER THE ANTIOXIDANT ACTION

The present paper is an attempt to estimate the influence of cell surface morphology changes to functional activity under the effect of antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), and alpha-lipoic asid (ALA). Two experimental parameters were used to characterize transformed fibroblasts 3T3-SV40 status. The functional one was the cell sensitivity to lysis by natural killer (NK) mouse splenocytes, and morphology index (cell form index) was a cell area. We showed that addition of NAC or ALA to the cell medium caused fast decrease of cell area and changes of cell form. On the other hand, their sensitivity to lysis NK cells gradually and significantly decreased. Then we compared NAC or ALA effect with the effects of other substances, which were non-antioxidants but caused cell responses which concurred with of antioxidants, at least partly. They were: latrunculin B, desorganizing actin filaments (as both antioxidants), OTZ reducing ROS level in the cell (as NAC), BSO (inhibitor of glutathione synthesis), increasing ROS level in the cell (as ALA), antibodies to gelatinases, MMP-2 and MMP-9 inactivating their activities (as both antioxidants). The results obtained showed a correlation between changes of morphology index and functional activity, sensitivity to lysis by NK cells. We suppose that geometry of cell surface might be a functional indicator of cell reaction to the antioxidant.