Effects of the radioprotector WR-1065 on aspects of DNA metabolism and cell cycle progression in CHO AA8 and human HSF4 cells

The radioprotector WR-1065 (2-[(aminopropyl) amino]ethanethiol) is known to protect mammalian cells from the cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of radiation exposure, but the exact mechanisms involved in this protection are not fully known. The effect of WR-1065 on a variety of cellular processes in two cell lines was examined to determine how it may provide protection. Incubation of Chinese hamster ovary AA8 cells in 4 mM WR-1065 did not significantly affect the DNA synthetic rate. Autoradiographic analysis of heavily labeled nuclei of AA8 cells showed no significant difference in the size of the S phase population of WR-1065 treated versus control cells for up to 3 h. An examination of the effect of WR-1065 on repair synthesis, as measured by unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) in cells exposed to 15 Gy of gamma-rays, showed no difference between treated and sham treated cells for up to 2 h exposure time. A significant reduction in the amount of UDS was seen in cells treated with the protector for 2.5 and 3h. WR-1065 concentrations ranging from 0.5 mM to 4 mM were not cytotoxic to normal human skin fibroblast cells (HSF4) for exposure to 137Cs gamma-rays resulted in a protection factor of 3.5, almost twice that observed for AA8 cells with 4 mM Wr-1065. Growth of AA8 cells in either alpha-minimal essential medium or McCoy's 5 a medium did not affect the alteration in cell cycle progression observed. These data suggest that perturbations in cell cycle progression, rather than direct effects on the rate of DNA synthesis, could play a role in the increased survival and reduced mutation frequencies observed in the presence of WR-1065 by allowing more time for the repair of DNA damage prior to division