Thermal radiosensitization of human tumour cell lines with different sensitivities to 41.1 degrees C.

While much work on radiosensitization by hyperthermia in the 43 degrees C and higher temperature range has been done, relatively little work has been done at temperatures in the 41-42 degrees C range. In this moderate hyperthermia range there are dramatic differences in the resistance of mammalian cells to hyperthermia. Therefore, thermal radiosensitization was measured in two human colon adenocarcinoma cell lines, one that expresses chronic thermotolerance and proliferates at 41.1 degrees C, NSY 42129 (NSY) cells and one that is slowly killed at 41.1 degrees C, HCT15 cells. Heat-resistant NSY cells were found to be more radioresistant than heat-sensitive HCT15 cells. Hyperthermia at 41.1 degrees C enhanced the radiation sensitivity in NSY cells, but no significant induction of heat-induced radiosensitization was observed in HCT15 cells. The radiation sensitivity induced by 41.1 degrees C in NSY cells appeared to be related to both intrinsic heat-induced radiosensitization (HIR) and cell-cycle redistribution at 41.1 degrees C. Incidentally, cells incubated at 41.1 degrees C for between 8-16 h displayed an identical radiosensitivity to those heated for 24 h. This result implies that modest hyperthermia for 2 h or more can have a radiosensitizing effect in heat-resistant cells.     

Lack of interferon beta-induced radiosensitization in four out of five human glioblastoma cell lines

PURPOSE: To investigate the potential of interferon beta to enhance the cytotoxic activity of ionizing irradiation against glioma cells, and to elucidate the possible mechanisms responsible for conflicting clinical results. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Five glioblastoma cell lines (U87MG, U118MG, U373MG, MO59K, MO59J) with different radiosensitivity and genetic background were used. Experiments were performed in exponentially growing cultures, and cell survival was measured by a colony-forming assay. Cells were incubated with natural interferon beta (n-IFN-beta; 30-3000 IU/mL) for 24 h followed by single dose irradiation with 1 to 6 Gy of gamma-rays. RESULTS: Significant differences in n-IFN-beta sensitivity were found. The cell lines also differed in their radiation sensitivity, and there was no correlation between the n-IFN-beta and the radiation sensitivity. In three of five cell lines, the interaction of n-IFN-beta and irradiation was infra-additive; in one cell line, it was additive. For MO59J cells only, which are NHEJ-deficient, supra-additivity was observed. CONCLUSION: Our results confirm the remarkable heterogeneity that is characteristic of malignant glioma. The combined effect of n-IFN-beta and radiation was mostly infra-additive or additive; synergistic interaction might occur in tumor cells that already have acquired repair deficiencies because of their genetic instability, as shown for the MO59J cell line.     

BrdUrd-induced radiosensitization of two human tumour cell lines at iso-levels of incorporation

Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd)-induced radiosensitization of two different tumour cell lines was compared at equal levels of thymidine replacement. Human lung carcinoma cells (SW-1573) and human colorectal carcinoma cells (RKO) were grown for 48 h in the presence of respectively 1 microM BrdUrd and 4 microM of BrdUrd in order to obtain equal levels of BrdUrd into the DNA. In SW cells the level of thymidine replacement by BrdUrd was 6.7+/-0.5% and in RKO cells this was 7.1+/-0.8. Cell survival after irradiation with single doses up to 8 Gy, was determined with clonogenic assay. The magnitude of BrdUrd-induced radiosensitization was determined by analyzing radiation-dose survival curves with the linear-quadratic formula [S(D)/S(0)=exp-(alphaD+betaD2)]. In the SW cells BrdUrd radiosensitization led to a significant increase of the linear parameter, alpha, determining the initial slope of the survival curves, by a factor of about 2. In the RKO cells BrdUrd increased the value of alpha by a factor 1.4. This suggests that repair of potentially lethal damage (PLD) is inhibited. In both cell lines the quadratic term, beta, strongly influencing the high dose region of the survival curves, was not altered by sensitization by BrdUrd. The increase of alpha is of interest for clinical applications as BrdUrd sensitizes tumour cells after low doses of radiation.     

Thermal enhancement of oxaliplatin-induced inhibition of cell proliferation and cell cycle progression in human carcinoma cell lines

Hyperthermia is used to treat intraperitoneal colorectal carcinomatosis. In this setting, the molecular effects of oxaliplatin and hyperthermia, in combination and alone, were deciphered in ovarian and colon cancer cells. The combined antiproliferative effects of hyperthermia and oxaliplatin (Eloxatine?;) on human IGROV-1 ovarian carcinoma, Caco-2 and HT-29 colon carcinoma cell lines were investigated by cell viability test, cell cycle analysis and modulation of expression of cell cycle-related proteins. Oxaliplatin inhibited growth of all cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. The efficacy of the drug was markedly enhanced by concurrent exposure to mild heat shock (1?h, 42°C). In IGROV-1 cells, a low concentration (15?µg/ml) of oxaliplatin in combination with hyperthermia induced a transient G2/M arrest. In both colon carcinoma cell lines, a G1/S arrest with a reduction of the G0/G1 population occurred. In IGROV-1 and Caco-2 cells, growth arrest was accompanied by apoptosis as suggested by the appearance of sub-G1 population. Time-course changes of cell cycle regulatory proteins levels revealed accumulation of cyclins A and B as well as of cdc2 and cdk2 upon exposure of IGROV-1 cells to hyperthermia and oxaliplatin. In this cell line, p53 appeared to be implicated in both G2/M arrest and apoptosis. G1/S arrest of HT-29 cells was linked to up-regulation of cyclin E and p27^Kip1 and accumulation of the hypophosphorylated form of pRB, whereas in Caco-2 cells only the hyperphosphorylated form was detected as well as a down-regulation of the proto-oncogene c-myc. Taken together, the results of these in vitro studies suggest that hyperthermia and oxaliplatin might elicit antiproliferative effects by modulating the expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins through different signalling pathways.     

Effect of 41 degrees C and 43 degrees C on cisplatin radiosensitization in two human carcinoma cell lines with different sensitivities for cisplatin

The effect of trimodality treatment consisting of hyperthermia, cisplatin and radiation was investigated in two cell lines with different sensitivities to cisplatin. Hyperthermia treatment was performed for 1 h at 41 degrees C and 43 degrees C in order to compare the effects of the two temperatures. Clonogenic assays were performed with cisplatin-sensitive SiHa human cervical carcinoma and cisplatin-resistant SW-1573 human lung carcinoma cell lines. Cells were treated with various combinations of hyperthermia, cisplatin and radiation. Radiation was performed after 1 h of simultaneous hyperthermia and cisplatin treatment. Cisplatin exposure was for 1 h or continuous without refreshment of the cisplatin-containing medium. SiHa cells were more sensitive to cisplatin than SW-1573 cells. Hyperthermia at 41 degrees C decreased survival in SW-1573 cells but was not cytotoxic in SiHa cells. Hyperthermia at 43 degrees C decreased survival dramatically in both cell lines with SiHa being the most sensitive. The addition of hyperthermia at 41 degrees C and 43 degrees C to cisplatin treatment led to enhanced cell kill in both cell lines compared with cisplatin alone. Radiosensitization was observed after continuous but not after 1 h of cisplatin treatment. Hyperthermia at 43 degrees C increased radiosensitivity whereas hyperthermia at 41 degrees C did not. A combination of 41 degrees C hyperthermia with continuous cisplatin treatment had an additive effect on SW-1573 cells but enhanced cisplatin radiosensitivity of SiHa cells. In SW-1573 cells trimodality treatment using 43 degrees C hyperthermia enhances cisplatin radiosensitivity. We conclude that hyperthermia at 43 degrees C enhances cisplatin-induced radiosensitization in both cisplatin-sensitive and -resistant cell lines. Hyperthermia at 41 degrees C was also able to increase cisplatin-induced radiosensitivity but only in the cisplatin-sensitive SiHa cell line.     

Response to pulsed dose rate irradiation with and without mild hyperthermia using tumour and normal cell lines

To determine whether pulsed dose rate irradiation in combination with mild hyperthermia could radiosensitize cells in comparison to pulsed dose rate irradiation alone, human ovarian carcinoma (A2780s, cisplatin- and radiation-sensitive, and A2780cp, cisplatin- and radiation-resistant) and human fibroblast (AG1522) cell lines were used. Cells were irradiated in vitro using two fraction sizes, 0.53Gy given every hour and 1.6Gy given every 3h, with an overall average dose rate of 0.53Gy/h. The data showed that 40°C hyperthermia did not radiosensitize any of the cell lines for the 0.53Gy every 1h fractionation scheme. In addition, mild hyperthermia radiosensitized both carcinoma cell lines when using the 1.6Gy fraction size for all doses tested in the A2780s and at higher doses in the A2780cp, but not the normal cell line. These results suggest a potential clinical advantage when using the 1.6Gy fraction size with 40°C mild hyperthermia, since hyperthermia radiosensitized the carcinoma cells but not the normal cells.     

A comparison of hyperthermia cisplatin sensitization in human ovarian carcinoma and glioma cell lines sensitive and resistant to cisplatin treatment

 Two pairs of human tumor cell lines (glioma and ovarian carcinoma (OvCa)) each having a parental cell line and cisplatin-resistant variant, were evaluated for (a) cisplatin response, (b) hyperthermia response, and (c) combined hyperthermia and cisplatin response. The two resistant lines had comparable resistant responses while for the parental lines, the OvCa was more sensitive than the glioma to cisplatin doses up to 14 μg/ml. For the hyperthermia response, the OvCa parental line was more resistant than the variant line at low-temperature hyperthermia (41° C or 42°C) but became more sensitive at high temperature (45°C). For the glioma, the parental line was more sensitive to hyperthermia at all temperatures tested. Hyperthermia caused sensitization to cisplatin in all cell lines but was generally greater in the glioma cell lines. In the OvCa system, hyperthermia had a slightly greater sensitizing effect on the resistant cell lines, while in the glioma the opposite was true. The degree of sensitization increased with hyperthermia temperature. In summary, the results showed that there is no cross-resistance for hyperthermia and cisplatin, that the degree of thermal sensitization is not reduced in cisplatin-resistant cell lines, and that cisplatin thermal sensitization is cell-line and temperature dependent. Thus, hyperthermia can effectively improve tumor cell response to cisplatin and may be useful in overcoming resistance to cisplatin. Received: 10 March 1995/Accepted: 21 July 1995     

Heat sensitization to cisplatin in two cell lines with different drug sensitivities

Heat sensitization to cisplatin was studied in drug-sensitive Chinese hamster fibroblast (CH) and inherently drug-resistant hamster kidney (HaK) cells. Under normothermic conditions the slopes of the survival curves differed by a factor of 3.6, while the cellular uptake was higher in CH cells by a factor of 3. When heat and drug treatment were given simultaneously, both effects were increased in CH and HaK cells: thermal enhancement factors at 43 degrees C were 5.5 (CH) and 2.9 (HaK) for cytotoxic drug action and 3.9 and 2.2 for the increase in cellular drug content. Increase in cell sensitization was also obtained if the cells were heat pretreated (42.5-44 degrees C for various times) followed by drug exposure at 37 degrees C. It is concluded that thermal enhancement depends on the efficiency of cisplatin cytotoxicity, which in turn correlates with cellular drug uptake in both the sensitive and resistant cell line.     

厄洛替尼对非小细胞肺癌H1299细胞放射增敏研究

目的 探讨表皮生长因子受体酪氨酸激酶抑制剂对人非小细胞肺癌细胞放射敏感性的影响及其可能的机制。方法 体外培养人非小细胞肺癌细胞H1299。CCK-8检测厄洛替尼对H1299的毒性作用,并计算 IC50及 IC20,将 IC20作为后续试验的药物作用浓度。克隆形成实验检测射线联合厄洛替尼对H1299的作用,计算放射敏感性参数,绘制细胞存活曲线。流式细胞术检测细胞周期分布及凋亡。Western blot检测细胞EGFR/PI3K/AKT通路及凋亡相关蛋白表达。结果 厄洛替尼对H1299具有一定增殖抑制作用,IC50为27.3μmol/L、 IC20为3.3μmol/L。X射线联合 IC20浓度厄洛替尼能够降低H1299的克隆能力,使 G0/G1期、G2/M期比例增加,S期减少比例,细胞凋亡增加;抑制pEGFR及pAKT蛋白表达,增加凋亡相关蛋白Active Caspase 3、Cleaved PARP表达。结论 厄洛替尼对H1299具有放射增敏作用,其可能的机制是厄洛替尼联合射线抑制EGFR/PI3K/AKT通路,降低细胞损伤修复能力,改变细胞生长周期,诱导细胞凋亡。     

Pronounced radiosensitization of cultured human cancer cells by COX inhibitor under acidic microenvironment

: To demonstrate the influence of pH on the cytotoxicity and radiosensitization by COX (cyclooxygenase) -1 and -2 inhibitors using established human cancer cells in culture.

: Nonselective COX inhibitor, ibuprofen (IB), and selective COX-2 inhibitor, SC-236, were used to determine the cytotoxicity and radiosensitization at varying pH of culture media. Human colon carcinoma cell line (HT-29) was exposed to the drug alone and in combination with radiation at different pH of the cell culture media. The end point was clonogenic ability of the single-plated cells after the treatment.

: Cytotoxicity and radiosensitization of IB increased with higher drug concentration and longer exposure time. The most significant radiosensitization was seen with IB (1.5 mM) for 2-h treatment at pH 6.7 before irradiation. The dose-modifying factor as defined by the ratio of radiation doses required to achieve the same effect on cell survival was 1.8 at 10% survival level. In contrast, SC-236 (50 μM for 2–8 h) showed no pH-dependent cytotoxicity. There was modest increase in the cell killing at lower doses of radiation.

: An acidic pH was an important factor affecting the increased cytotoxicity and radiosensitization by ibuprofen. Radiation response was enhanced at shoulder portion of the cell survival curve by selective COX-2 inhibitor.     

Thermal dose and secondary tumour cell death

Both primary and secondary tumour cell death may occur in clinical hyperthermia. The equation usually used for calculation of thermal dose takes only the primary cell death into consideration. We propose that the thermal dose equation should be reassessed; contributions from secondary cell death should also be included. The secondary cell death is governed mainly by the temperature distribution during treatment, the arteriolar density distribution in the tumour and the heat sensitivity of the arterioles. Increased thermal dose and hence increased tumour treatment response may result if hyperthermic treatments are designed to maximize the secondary cell death. Massive secondary cell death may be achieved by inducing hot spots in tumour areas with high arteriolar density, identified in pretreatment tumour angiograms.     

Investigation of resistance to DNA cross-linking agents in 9L cell lines with different sensitivities to chloroethylnitrosoureas

The 9L-2, 9L-7, and 9L-8 cell lines, derived from the 9L in vivo rat brain tumor, were treated with nitrosoureas that can alkylate and cross-link DNA and carbamoylate intracellular molecules to various extents. Compared to 9L cells, 9L-2 cells were very resistant to the cytotoxic effects of 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea, and to 2-[3-(2-chloroethyl)-3-nitrosoureido]-D-deoxyglucopyranose. The sensitivity of 9L-7 and 9L-8 cell lines to these drugs was intermediate between 9L and 9L-2. Treatment of 9L, 9L-2, 9L-7, and 9L-8 cell lines with 1,3-bis(trans-4-hydroxycyclohexyl)-1-nitrosourea produced approximately the same level of cell kill. Compared to 9L cells, 9L-2 cells are 10-fold more resistant to the cytotoxic effects, 34-fold more resistant to the induction of sister chromatid exchanges, and have 40% fewer DNA interstrand cross-links caused by treatment with 3-(4-amino-2-methyl-5-pyrimidinyl)methyl-1-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea . In contrast, treatment of 9L and 9L-2 cells with 1-ethylnitrosourea produced approximately the same level of cell kill and induction of sister chromatid exchanges. Our results suggest that the resistance of 9L-2, 9L-7, and 9L-8 cells is related to DNA cross-linking and not to alkylation or carbamoylation. We studied the effects of other agents that form DNA cross-links with structures different from those formed by treatment with chloroethylnitrosoureas (CENUs) in 9L and 9L-2 cells. In contrast to results obtained with CENUs, 9L-2 cells were 2-fold more sensitive to the cytotoxic effects, 2-fold more sensitive to the induction of sister chromatid exchanges, and had 3-fold more cross-links formed than 9L cells treated with nitrogen mustard. However, the amount of cell kill, number of sister chromatid exchanges induced, and the DNA cross-linking were the same for 9L and 9L-2 cells treated with cis-diamminedichlorplatinum(II). Our results indicate that cellular resistance to CENUs is highly specific and that the mechanism of resistance does not allow cross-resistance with other DNA cross-linking agents. These and other results suggest that when DNA repair processes mediate cellular resistance to CENUs, other cross-linking agents will not be cross-resistant unless they form alkylation products that are affected by repair processes that mediate resistance to CENUs.     

Differential sensitivities of human testicular and bladder tumor cell lines to chemotherapeutic drugs

The in vitro drug sensitivities of 5 human testicular tumor cell lines (Tera II, SuSa, NEC-8, 833K, T3B1) and 5 human bladder carcinoma cell lines (RT4, RT112, T24, HT1197, HT1376) were compared. Cytotoxicities of cisplatin and doxorubicin were assessed by inhibition of colony-forming ability during continuous exposure to a range of drug concentrations. The ranges of the drug concentrations required to kill 70% of clonogenic cells obtained against the testicular cell lines were 1-7 ng/ml and 21-161 ng/ml for doxorubicin and cisplatin, respectively, compared with 4-19 ng/ml and 112-431 ng/ml for the bladder cell lines. This study shows that continuous cell lines retain the relative clinical chemosensitivities of their tumors of origin. The results also indicate that testicular tumor cells are inherently more sensitive to the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapeutic drugs than are bladder cancer cells.     

Suppression of heat-induced hsp72 accumulation by cisplatin in human glioblastoma cells

The accumulation of the inducible hsp72 (72-kDa heat shock protein) after hyperthermia and/or cisplatin treatment in human glioblastoma cell line (A-172) was studied by Western blot analysis. The level of hsp72 increased to eight-fold 10 h after hyperthermia alone (44 °C for 20 min, D₅₀) and to three-fold 10 h after cisplatin treatment (5 μg/ml) at 37 °C for 15 min (D₅₀). In contrast, when the cells were simultaneously heated with cisplatin, the accumulation of hsp72 was suppressed. The level of hsp72 increased to about six-fold and two-fold 10 h after hyperthermia (44 °C, 15 min) in the presence of 1 and 10 μg/ ml (D₅₀ or D₁₀) of cisplatin, respectively. In addition, we found both the enhancement of thermosensitivity and the suppression of thermotolerance by the simultaneously combined treatment of hyperthermia and cisplatin. It has been reported that the enhancement of cisplatin cytotoxicity by hyperthermia is due to increase of both cisplatin uptake and DNA damage by hyperthermia. Our results suggest that the interactive cytotoxic enhancement by the combination of hyperthermia and cisplatin may be also due to the suppression of heat-induced hsp72 accumulation by cisplatin.     

Differential responses to radiation and hyperthermia of cloned cell lines derived from a single human melanoma xenograft

One uncloned and five cloned cell lines were derived from a single human melanoma xenograft. Cells from passages 7-12 were exposed to either radiation or hyperthermia (42.5 degrees C, pH = 7.4) under aerobic conditions and the colony forming ability of the cells was assayed in soft agar. The five cloned lines showed individual and characteristic responses to radiation as well as to hyperthermia. The variation in the response to radiation was mainly reflected in the size of the shoulders of the survival curves rather than in the D0-values. The variation in the response to hyperthermia was mainly reflected in the terminal slopes of the survival curves. The survival curve of cells from the uncloned line, both when exposed to radiation and hyperthermia, was positioned in the midst of those of the cloned lines. The response of the cloned lines to radiation did not correlate with the response to hyperthermia, indicating that tumor cell subpopulations which are resistant to radiation may respond well to hyperthermia.     

热疗加放疗治疗盆腔恶性肿瘤的临床热剂量学研究

目的采用温度当量分(TEM42．5℃)作为热剂量单位,评价其与肿瘤缓解率之间的关系,找出适合临床应用的热剂量单位。方法对49例复发或转移的盆腔恶性肿瘤患者采用热疗(放疗后30min热疗,每次热疗40～60min,2次／周)联合放疗(1．8～2．OGy／次,1次／d,5次／周),并用高电阻铅测温针在肿瘤中心部位单点连续测温。以TEM42．5℃作为热剂量单位。结果49例患者中,完全缓解(CR)14例,部分缓解(PR)21例,无缓解(NR)14例。肿瘤缓解(CR PR)率和TEM42．5℃,放疗剂量呈明显正相关;肿瘤体积和热疗次数,与肿瘤缓解率无相关性。结论TEM42．5℃和放疗剂量,与肿瘤缓解率呈明显正相关,可作为肿瘤热疗联合放疗时的热剂量单位。     

Characterisation of seven human ovarian tumour cell lines.

Characteristics of a panel of seven human ovarian tumour cell lines are presented. Positive staining with HMFG2 and ultrastructural identification of desmosomes confirmed the epithelial nature of the cell lines. The lines showed wide variations in ploidy, doubling times and clonogenicity in soft agar. Both vimentin and keratin were equally expressed in five lines, one line showed strong preferential expression of keratin and one line showed preferential expression of vimentin. Karyotypic changes associated with ovarian cancer were identified in all the lines. Four of the seven cell lines showed loss of chromosome material distal to 11p13-15. These cell lines offer considerable potential for research into the biology and genetics of ovarian cancer.     

Apoptosis as a predictor of paclitaxel-induced radiosensitization in human tumor cell lines.

Paclitaxel is a deterpene with antitumor activity against a variety of human neoplasms. Paclitaxel cytotoxicity is thought to derive mainly from a stabilization of microtubules as a result of enhanced tubulin polymerization that leads to an accumulation of cells in the mitotic (M) phase of the cell cycle. Because cells in this phase of the cell cycle are known to be radiosensitive, it was thought that paclitaxel, in addition to its direct toxicity, may also sensitize tumor cell populations to radiation. Studies evaluating the radiosensitizing potential of paclitaxel in cultured cells have been equivocal, with only approximately 50% of the tested cell lines showing radiosensitization. To explain this variability, we advanced the hypothesis that the ability of paclitaxel to radiosensitize cells may be inversely correlated to the efficiency with which it induces apoptosis. To test this hypothesis, we studied paclitaxel-induced apoptosis and radiosensitization in seven human tumor cell lines. Approximately one-half of these cell lines showed radiosensitization that was associated with a low apoptotic index (<20% after a 48-h treatment with 10 or 20 nM paclitaxel). The results suggest that the level of apoptosis, after paclitaxel treatment, may predict for paclitaxel-induced radiosensitization, and that it could be introduced as a parameter for the optimization of combined treatment protocols.     

Heterogeneity in induced thermal resistance of rat tumor cell clones

Four 13762NF rat mammary adenocarcinoma clones were examined for their survival response to heating under conditions that induced transient thermal resistance (thermotolerance). Clones MTC and MTF7 were isolated from the subcutaneous locally growing tumor, whereas clones MTLn2 and MTLn3 were derived from spontaneous lung metastases. There was heterogeneity among these clones in thermotolerance induced by either fractionated 45 degrees C or continuous 42 degrees C heating, but the order of sensitivity was not necessarily the same. The clones developed thermal resistance at different rates and to different degrees within the same time intervals. There was heterogeneity between clones isolated from within either the primary site or metastatic lesions. However, clones derived from metastatic foci did not intrinsically acquire more or less thermotolerance to fractionated 45 degrees C or continuous 42 degrees C heating than did clones from the primary tumor. Further, there was no apparent relationship between any phenotypic properties that conferred more or less thermotolerance in vitro and any phenotypic properties that conferred enhanced metastatic success of these same clones by spontaneous (subcutaneous) or experimental (intravenous) routes in vivo. These tumor clones also differ in their karyotype, metastatic potential, cell surface features, sensitivity to x-irradiation and drugs, and ability to repair sublethal radiation damage. These results provide further credence to the concept that inherent heterogeneity within tumors may be as important in therapeutic success as other known modifiers of outcome such as site and treatment heterogeneity.