The effects of dimethyl sulfoxide on cell surfaces of developing sea urchin embryos: an ultrastructural study, 1979

The cell membrane, in addition to surrounding the cytoplasm and/or compartmentalizing individual cells, controls and regulates the passage of substances into and out of the cell. This membrane is composed of lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. Cell membrane moieties are ever changing due to the shifting and/or movement of the various membrane components. Although membrane moieties are constantly changing, various chemical substances can induce changes in membrane surface structure that can be observed with the scanning electron microscope (SEM). One such substance is dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Dimethyl sulfoxide has the ability to overcome the permeability barrier of cell membranes, often causing little or no permanent damage. Not only does this chemical compound enter cells readily, but it has the ability to carry substances dissolved in it across the cell membrane also. It has been found to induce cell growth and maturation as well as inhibition of cell proliferation. It is thought by many investigators that DMSO acts at the cell surface to cause many of the alterations in cellular activity. In this investigation, DMSO was found to cause changes in the membrane topography of the sea urchin (Arbacia punctulata) embryonic cells. This study also showed that the most conspicuous changes occurred when embryos were treated to lower (2.5% v/v) concentrations of DMSO, as observed with the scanning electron microscope. Higher concentrations of DMSO tended to cause a reversal of the changes in cell surface topography that was induced by the lower concentration of DMSO