ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Journal of Neurosurgical Sciences 2001 September;45(3):151-5

Copyright © 2001 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Growth inhibition of epidermal growth factor-stimulated human glioblastoma cells by nicardipine in vitro

Huang C. ¹, Hu S. ², Chen B. ²

¹ Department of Neurosurgery, Hainan Provincial People’s Hospital, Haikou, China; ² Department of Neurosurgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Medical University, Changsha, China

Background. The objec­tive of ­this ­work was to ­observe and ana­lyze the ­effects of epi­der­mal ­growth fac­tor (EGF) and the cal­cium chan­nel antag­o­nist nicar­di­pine on the ­growth of U251MG, a ­human malig­nant gli­o­ma ­cell ­line, ­which ­have ­high-affin­ity EGF recep­tors.
Methods. The ­growth ­effects of EGF and nicar­di­pine on U251MG cul­tured in ser­um-­free and ser­um-sup­ple­ment­ed (10% ­fetal ­bovine ser­um, FBS) medi­um respec­tive­ly ­were ­observed by MTT color­im­e­rit­ric anal­y­sis.
Results. EGF sig­nif­i­cant­ly ­enhanced the ­growth of U251MG ­cells in a ­dose-depen­dent man­ner in ser­um-­free medi­um. The max­i­mal ­effect was ­seen at 20 ng/ml. The ­effects of EGF approx­i­mat­ed ­those ­obtained in 10% FBS. Nicardipine ­decreased U251MG ­cell pro­life­ra­tion, espe­cial­ly in ser­um-sup­ple­ment­ed medi­um, and com­plete­ly ­blocked the ­growth-stim­u­lat­ed ­effects of EGF. The com­bined ­effects of EGF (10 ng/ml) and nicar­di­pine ­equaled ­those of nicar­di­pine ­alone.
Conclusions. When ser­um was ­absent, the U251MG ­cells ­showed a pro­nounced mit­o­gen­ic ­response to EGF in a ­dose-depen­dent man­ner, ­which approx­i­mat­ed ­that ­achieved ­with 10% FBS. The addi­tion of ser­um ­obscured ­this ­effect. Nicardipine sup­pressed the ­growth of U251MG ­cells and com­plete­ly ­blocked the ­growth-stim­u­lat­ed ­effects of EGF may sug­gest a pos­sible ­role of ­this ­drug as adju­vent ther­a­py for ­human malig­nant gli­o­mas.