Inhibition of DNA Synthesis in Meth A Cells by Chlorpromazine

We examined the influence of chlorpromazine, a phenothiazine derivative, on DNA synthesis in Meth A cells. Pulse-labelling experiments with [³H]thymidine showed that chlorpromazine inhibited DNA synthesis in cells cultured in vitro. The drug also inhibited DNA synthesis in isolated nuclei. Observation by fluorescence microscopy of fibroblastic cells stained with chlorpromazine indicated that the drug was localized in the cytoplasm and nuclear membranes, suggesting that it inhibited DNA synthesis in a manner dependent on the interaction of replication proteins with nuclear membranes. Meth A sarcomas growing in the endoderm of BALB/c mice regressed on intra-tumor injection of chlorpromazine, indicating that the drug has an anticancer action.