Influence of enovid on the cytopathic action of staphylococcal alpha toxin.

The effect of the widely employed oral contraceptive steroid, Enovid, on the cytolytic action of the staphylococcal alpha toxin was investigated as an extension of previous studies in which it was shown that steroids were capable of suppressing induced staphylococcal infection in experimental animals. The cytotoxic action of alpha toxin for tissue cultures was evaluated by use of such parameters as total and viable cell counts, glucose and protein determination, and cytopathic effects in the presence and absence of Enovid. To 3-day-old primary rabbit baby kidney tissue cultures a mixture of 20 mug of norethynodrel per ml [17alpha-ethynyl-hydroxy-5(10)-estren-3-one] and 5 mug of mestranol per ml (17-ethynelestradiol-3-methyl ether) was added; growth of tissue cultures in Eagle medium was continued till the sixth day, and then one tissue cytopathic dose of alpha toxin per ml was added and the subsequent fate of tissue cultures was assayed.

Interaction of staphylococcal alpha toxin and the estrogenic hormone diethylstilbestrol.

Previous work in this laboratory showed that diethylstilbestrol was capable of suppressing induced furunculosis in rabbits. The present study indicates that the synthetic estrogenic hormone diethylstilbestrol which is used for acne, estrogen deficiency, cancer, and other disorders, can reduce the cytolytic action of staphylococcal alpha toxin. The cytotoxic action of purified alpha toxin for tissue cultures was evaluated by use of such parameters as total and viable cell counts, glucose, and protein determination, and cytopathic effects (CPE) in the presence and absence of steroids.