Activity of a Substance extracted from the Fermentation Products of Acetobacter aceti on Ehrlich's Ascites Tumour Cells

Abstract

DURING the bacterial fermentation of alcohol to acetic acid, highly active molecules capable of regulating oxidation-reduction potentials must be elaborated by the bacteria, but as yet no extensive investigations in this field have been carried out. A substance possessing interesting biological activities and with some well-defined chemical characteristics has recently been isolated from vinegar^1,2. This substance, obtained by extraction and purification processes similar to those used for cytochrome isolation, proved to have a marked oxidizing ability and, in particular, exerted an intense facilitatory activity on some catalase systems. It also markedly inhibited the growth of human tumour cells cultivated in vitro. When the substance is added to the medium in very low concentration in in vitro respiration experiments (Warburg technique) with Ehrlich's ascites tumour cells, an increase of respiration occurs: on the other hand, a most important finding is that respiration is blocked at higher concentrations. This interference with respiratory processes is much less marked on non-tumour cells. These effects would support Antoniani's concept³ of the extreme sensitivity of tumour cells to substances capable of interfering with their respiratory systems, which, owing to discontinuous pathways, are particularly labile.