LOCALIZATION OF DRUGS WITHIN CELLS. BINDING OF QUINACRINE BY LIVER CELL CONSTITUENTS

¹ Institute of Cancer Research and The Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York

The binding of quinacrine by liver cell constituents in tissue homogenates, by isolated nuclei, and by cell constituents was determined at a wide concentration range up to concentrations at which all cell constituents were saturated. The distribution of quinacrine among cell constituents was similar when the quinacrine was administered in vivo and when it was added to homogenates.

The results suggest that numerous cell constituents are capable of binding quinacrine and that no single chemical entity is responsible for the binding. The results also suggest that quinacrine is chiefly bound in its micellar form.

Increasing amounts of bound quinacrine were found to alter the sedimentation characteristics of the various cell constituents considerably.