Studies on proliferation inhibition and anti-invasion of retinoic acid and 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid in highly metastasized human lung cancer cell line

Abstract

Objective To study the proliferation inhibition and anti-invasion of retinoic acid (RA) and 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) in highly metastasized lung cancer cell line (PGCL3), and to observe the combined effects of RA and GA. Methods The proliferation inhibitive rate, the colony-formation rate in semi-solid agar, the invasive ability to reconstituted basement membrane, the chemotatic migration ability, the laminin adhesion ability, and the activity of cathepsin B (CB) were tested. Results Treated with RA and GA, the proliferation of PGCL3 cells were inhibited obviously, and the inhibition degree was related to the dosage of the drugs. IC 50 of the proliferation inhibition were 12.58 μmol/L and 145.3 μmol/L respectively. Treated with 5.0 μmol/L RA, 25 μmol/L and 50 μmol/L GA, the invasive ability was decreased significantly (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001), and the inhibition was in a dose dependent manner. In combined treatment with 5.0 μmol/L RA and 25 μmol/L GA, the inhibition of invasion was greater than the sum of them used alone. Treated with GA of above concentrations and 10 μmol/L RA, the adhesion and migration ability and the secretion of CB of the PGCL3 cells were decreased significantly (P < 0.001). Treated with GA of above concentation, the colony formation rate in semi-solid agar was decreased significantly (P < 0.001). Conclusion RA and GA can inhibit the proliferation and invasion of the PGCL3 human lung cancer cells and have the anti-invasion synergism. The mechanism of anti-invasion of RA and GA is to inhibit many points of invasive process.

DOI: 10.3779/j.issn.1009-3419.2003.03.04