Studies into the Effect of “Mild” Uncoupling with 2,4-Dinitrophenol on the Growth of Chinese Hamster Cell Culture and Its Subsequent Dying out in the Stationary Phase

Partial uncoupling of the processes of oxidative phosphorylation and energy storage in the form of ATP (“mild” uncoupling) helps reduce the production of reactive oxygen species and can also mimic the effect of calorie restriction. A number of studies have shown that uncouplers, such as 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), affect the lifespan of Drosophila, yeast, mice, and rats as well as the manifestation of “age-related” changes in cultures of mammalian and human cells undergoing replicative senescence. This paper is devoted to studying the effect of DNP on the growth and subsequent dying out of “stationary phase aging” Chinese hamster cells. Using the method for evaluating the colony-forming efficiency of cells, the maximum permissible concentration was selected, 5 ×10–5 M, in which the substance presumably induces “mild” uncoupling and does not inhibit cell proliferation. At higher concentrations, DNP has a cytotoxic effect on the studied cell culture. Under the influence of DNP in the potentially “mild” uncoupling concentration (5.6 × 10–7 M), the kinetics of cell growth and dying out does not change, and the lifespan of the cell culture does not increase. This effect may be due to the type of cells studied. In addition, there is a probability that the optimal concentration lies in the range from 5 ×10–7 to 5 × 10–5 M or even lower than 5 × 10–7 M.