Effect of cytarabine upon metabolism of phospholipids in leukemia L5178Y cells

The influence of cytarabine on phospholipids metabolism in murine leukemia L5178 Y cells in vitro has been studied. Cytarabine increased the incorporation of [32P]phosphoric acid into total phospholipids of cells treated with 0.01-0.1 mM by 2-5 folds. The change started at 8 h after incubation with cytarabine. The effect may be correlated to the cytotoxicity of the drug but not correlated to protein synthesis, protein content and cell size. Cytarabine did not change individual components of phospholipids, but the quantities of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethenolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine and sphingomyelin were increased significantly.