Plants, higher Vacuoles

Leigh, R.A. (1983). Methods, progress and potential for use of isolated vacuoles in studies of solute transport in higher plant cells. Physiologic Plantarum, 57,390-6. 

Wagner, G.J. (1983). Higher plant vacuoles and tonoplasts. In Isolation of Membrane and Organelles from Plant Cells, ed. J.L. Hall and A.L. Moore, pp. 83-118. London Academic Press. 

Belkin et al. 29> were first to examine various polysaccharide fractions from higher plants for their antitumor activity. They could demonstrate that many of these fractions produced haemorrhagic necrosis in different tumor types. In most cases, the polysaccharides were injected intraperitoneally into mice carrying Sarkoma 37 ascites tumor. The result was a progressive increase in cell volume and in cytoplasmic vacuolization. Osswald 30) found that tragacanth, gum arabic, and CMC reduced tumor cells in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma in female NMRE mice. The effect depended upon the dose, the route of injection, and the molecular size of the polysaccharides administered. 

In some cases with crude preparations from higher plants, it has been shown that the cell volume increased highly, and neoplasmic cell vacuolization was observed. As a result of the administration of polysaccharides, the membranes of Ascites cells showed increased permeability to solutes and, consequently, the cell inhibed more water and swelled. 

Deus-Neumann, B. and Zenk, M.H. (1984) A highly selective alkaloid uptake system in vacuoles of higher plants. Planta, 162,250-60. 

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