Abstract
HIGH concentrations of vinblastine, strychnine and colchicine were reported to convert normal erythrocytes to cells similar to hereditary spherocytes1. The suggestion was made that the drugs specifically altered membrane microfilament proteins. We have found that vinblastine and strychnine expand erythrocyte membranes in the same way as many non-specific lipid-soluble cationic drugs2–5. The effects reported by Jacob et al.1 may result from this non-specific membrane-expanding action, and may have little to do with the hypothetical presence of microfilaments.
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SEEMAN, P., CHAU-WONG, M. & MOYYEN, S. Membrane Expansion by Vinblastine and Strychnine. Nature New Biology 241, 22 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio241022a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio241022a0
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