Zinc deficiency and growth of Ehrlich ascites tumor.

The growth rate of Ehrlich ascites tumors has been examined as a function of the zinc content of the diet of the host mice. Imposition of a diet containing a low amount of zinc (1 microgram/g) on the day of tumor transplant leads to a marked retardation in growth. Pretreatment of the mice with this diet slows the growth further so that the lifetime of the mice can be doubled.

Early reactions of cadmium with Ehrlich cells.

Ehrlich ascites tumor cells accumulate cadmium against a concentration gradient in a bisphasic uptake process. There is little efflux of the metal from preloaded cells into a cadmium-free medium. Incorporation of 3H-thymidine into DNA is markedly inhibited by cadmium ion at 5-100 ng atoms of Cd/mg of cell protein, but uptake of the nucleoside label into cells is not depressed in this concentration range.