Xu LN, Wang X, Zou SQ. Effect of histone deacetylase inhibitor on proliferation of biliary tract cancer cell lines. World J Gastroenterol 2008; 14(16): 2578-2581 [PMID: 18442209 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.14.2578]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Li-Ning Xu, Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China. chaoyue528@sohu.com
Article-Type of This Article
Rapid Communication
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Li-Ning Xu, Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China
Xin Wang, Sheng-Quan Zou, Department of General Surgery of Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China
ORCID number: $[AuthorORCIDs]
Author contributions: Xu LN and Wang X contributed equally to this work; Xu LN and Wang X designed the research; Xu LN, Wang X and Zou SQ performed the research; Wang X and Zou SQ analyzed the data; Xu LN wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Li-Ning Xu, Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China. chaoyue528@sohu.com
Telephone: +86-10-66936609
Fax: +86-10-66936609
Received: December 9, 2007 Revised: March 4, 2008 Published online: April 28, 2008
Abstract
AIM: To explore the effect of histone deacetylase inhibitor, trichostatin A (TSA) on the growth of biliary tract cancer cell lines (gallbladder carcinoma cell line and cholangiocarcinoma cell line) in vivo and in vitro, and to investigate the perspective of histone deacetylase inhibitor in its clinical application.
METHODS: The survival rates of gallbladder carcinoma cell line (Mz-ChA-l cell line) and cholangiocarcinoma cell lines (QBC939, KMBC and OZ cell lines) treated with various doses of TSA were detected by methylthiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay. A nude mouse model of transplanted gallbladder carcinoma (Mz-ChA-l cell line) was successfully established, and changes in the growth of transplanted tumor after treated with TSA were measured.
RESULTS: TSA could inhibit the proliferation of gallbladder carcinoma cell line (Mz-ChA-l cell line) and cholangiocarcinoma cell lines (QBC939, KMBC and OZ cell lines) in a dose-dependent manner. After the nude mouse model of transplanted gallbladder carcinoma (Mz-ChA-l cell line) was successfully established, the growth of cancer was inhibited in the model after treated with TSA.
CONCLUSION: TSA can inhibit the growth of cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder carcinoma cell lines in vitro and in vivo.
Citation: Xu LN, Wang X, Zou SQ. Effect of histone deacetylase inhibitor on proliferation of biliary tract cancer cell lines. World J Gastroenterol 2008; 14(16): 2578-2581
Biliary tract cancer, consisting of gallbladder carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma, presents many challenges to physicians. It is a relatively rare cancer often causing a diagnostic dilemma, as its presentation may be similar to that of non-malignant conditions[12]. It was reported that the misdiagnosis rate of biliary duct cancer is 19.1% and the median survival time of biliary tract cancer patients is about 7 mo[3]. At present, treatment of biliary tract cancer is also difficult[4] and complex due to a morbid patient population and limited data on the optimal therapeutic approach. Surgery remains the mainstay of treatment, although the extent of resection required is still controversial. Despite recent advances in imaging modalities, most of the patients are at the advanced stage of the disease at presentation, thus making radical surgery not feasible, which seriously affects its prognosis. The role of adjuvant therapy is also controversial. Different chemotherapeutic regimens have been investigated in small uncontrolled studies, with generally disappointed results[5]. In patients with unresectable biliary duct cancer, combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy can result in a prolonged survival time of some patients. In a palliative setting, biliary stenting and other supportive measures can alleviate symptoms and improve survival. Ultimately, treatment decisions should be individualized and participation in clinical trials is encouraged. Further progress in the management of biliary tract cancer is anticipated using biological therapies and continued research is essential to discover the optimal treatment for this challenging disease[2]. It is, thus, important to research its biological characteristics and biotherapy.
Cancer is a disease resulting from both genetic and epigenetic changes. There are many important epigenetic changes in its early carcinogenesis. Accumulating evidence indicates, however, that disparities in gene expression resulting from variable modifications in DNA methylation and chromatin structure in response to the environment also play a role in differential susceptibility to the disease[67]. Histone acetylation/deacetylation constitutes the most relevant chromatin remodelling mechanism underlying the DNA access to nuclear machinery and mutagenic agents[8]. It has been recently shown that histone acetylation/deacetylation is closely related with tumorigenesis[910]. Acetylation of histone plays a very important but incompletely understood role in genetic regulation[11]. Histone deacetylase inhibitors could markedly inhibit the growth of tumor cell lines[1213]. It has been shown that expression of p53BP1, a non-histone protein, is associated with HDAC4 and plays a role in histone acetylation of fully-grown oocytes[14]. Other data indicate that the known non-histone targets may play a role in the pathogenesis of cholangiocarcinoma[15].
Experiments in vitro have shown that TSA can be used in the treatment of ovarian cancer, pancreatic endocrine carcinoma, prostate cancer, etc[16–18]. The results of this study focusing on the effect of histone deacetylase inhibitor, trichostatin A (TSA) on the proliferation of gallbladder carcinoma cell line (Mz-ChA-l cell line) and cholangiocarcinoma cell lines (QBC939, KMBC and OZ cell lines) in vivo and in vitro, have demonstrated the value of biotherapy for biliary tract cancer with TSA.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Cell lines
QBC939 cell line (a human cholangiocarcinoma cell line), KMBC cell line (a human cholangiocarcinoma cell line), OZ cell line (a human cholangiocarcinoma cell line) and Mz-ChA-l cell line (originally isolated from human gallbladder adenocarcinoma) were used in our study. QBC939 cell line was kindly provided by Professor Shu-Guang Wang, The Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China. KMBC, OZ and Mz-ChA-l cell lines were kindly provided by Dr. Ke-Qin Hu, University of California, Irvine Medical Center, California, USA. Cell culture media and supplements were purchased from GIBCO Invitrogen Corporation (Carlsbad, CA, USA).
Animals
Sixteen male BALB/c nude mice at the age of 4 wk, weighing 10.0 ± 2.1 g, were purchased from the Experimental Animal Center of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (Wuhan, China). The mice were caged individually under specific pathogen- free conditions and fed with standard maintenance diet and water throughout the experimental period. All animals received care treatment in compliance with the Guidelines of Ministry of Public Health of China.
Cell culture
All biliary tract cancer cell lines (QBC939, KMBC, OZ and Mz-ChA-l cell lines) were grown as a monolayer in RPMI-1640 medium (Sigma, USA) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, penicillin (100 000 U/L), cultured in T-75 cm2 culture flasks, maintained at 37°C in a humidified atmosphere containing 50 mL/L CO2. At the beginning of experiment, cells at the exponential growth phase were removed from the flask with a solution containing 0.25% trypsin and 0.02% EDTA and seeded in 96-well plates containing RPMI-1640 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum.
Methylthiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay
QBC939, KMBC, OZ and Mz-ChA-l cells at logarithmic growth phase were digested with 0.25% trypsin and then suspended. Cells were calculated under microscope with the cell suspension adjusted to 2 × 105/mL. The wells in the plate were divided into 6 experiment groups and 1 blank control group. Cells were added into the plate (200 &mgr;L per well, 0.4 × 105), and medium into the blank control wells. After 18 h, the medium for the experiment groups was replaced with a medium containing 0.10, 0.25, 0.50, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 &mgr;mol/L TSA, respectively. The culture was continued, then 20 &mgr;L of 5 mg/mL MTT was added into each well after 4, 12, 24, 36 and 48 h, respectively. After another 4 h, the medium was discarded and 150 &mgr;L DMSO was added into each well. The A value for each well was measured at the wave length of 490 nm. The survival rate was then calculated and the survival curve was plotted following the formula: survival rate (%) = the A value of experiment groups - the A value of blank control group/the A value of negative group - the A value of blank control group × 100%.
Treatment of Mz-ChA-l cell lines and establishment of gallbladder carcinoma transplanted tumor model
Mz-ChA-l cells at the logarithmic phase were divided into two groups: one group was treated with 0.75 &mgr;mol/L TSA, the other group was cultured in medium. Cells were digested and counted after 24 h. The 16 male BALB/c nude mice at the age of 4 wk were randomly divided into group A (control group) and group B (TSA group) randomly, 8 in each group. The mice in group A were subcutaneously inoculated with untreated Mz-ChA-l cell suspension via the back, while those in group B were subcutaneously inoculated with Mz-ChA-l cell suspension treated with TSA for 24 h via the back. The wound was slightly pressed with a cotton swab for hemostasis and closed. The volume of cell suspension was 0.2 mL, with a concentration of 1 × 105/mL. The volume of tumors was calculated in the sixth week according to the following formula: the volume = the biggest diameter × transverse diameter2/2.
Statistical analysis
Statistical analysis was performed using the rank sum test (H test) for multi-sample comparison and t-test for two-sample comparison. The data were expressed as mean ± SE. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS
Effect of TSA on survival of QBC939, KMBC, OZ and Mz-ChA-l cell lines in vitro
QBC939, KMBC, OZ and Mz-ChA-1 cell lines were shrunk and died when TSA was added at various concentrations. MTT assay showed that TSA could shorten the survival time of QBC939, KMBC, OZ and Mz-ChA-l cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibition of cell survival increased with the increased dose of TSA (Table 1, Figure 1).
Table 1 Effect of TSA on the survival of biliary tract cancer cell lines.
Concentration of TSA
Percentage of survival of cell lines (median and quartile)
Figure 1 Effect of TSA on the survival of QBC939 (A), KMBC (B), OZ (C), and Mz-ChA-l (D).
Effect of TSA on survival of Mz-ChA-l cell line
All the male BALB/c nude mice survived. The mice in group A were subcutaneously inoculated with untreated Mz-ChA-l cell suspension via the back. The mice in group B were subcutaneously inoculated with Mz-ChA-l cell suspension via the back after treated with TSA for 24 h. After the Mz-ChA-1 cell line was transplanted into the nude mice for 6 wk, the tumor volume of group A was 930.25 ± 261.64 mm3, the transplanted tumor volume of group B was smaller than that of group A, and there was a significant difference between them (t = 2.50, P = 0.036).
DISCUSSION
Regulation of genes is a new topic[19]. Genetic information is regulated and expressed precisely. Gene expression can be greatly regulated by histone remodification. This is a kind of basic post formation theory of gene regulation[20]. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) and histone acetyl transferase (HAT) are two counteracting enzymes. Their activities can control the acetylation of protein lysine residues, notably those contained in the N-terminal extensions of the core histones. Acetylation of histones affects gene expression through its influence on chromatin conformation[2122]. A lot of data have shown that HDAC is one of the promising targets of cancer treatment as many HDAC inhibitors of solid and liquid tumors have entered clinical trials[23]. HDAC inhibitor is a kind of chemical compound regulating gene expression at the transcription level by changing chromosome structure through inhibiting HDAC. The HDAC inhibitors-inhibited HDAC enzymes shift the balance between the deacetylation activity of HDAC enzymes and the acetylation activity of histone acetyltransferases, resulting in hyperacetylation of core histones. Exposure of cancer cells to HDAC inhibitors is associated with a multitude of molecular and biological effects, ranging from transcriptional control, chromatin plasticity, protein DNA interaction to cellular differentiation, growth arrest and apoptosis. HDAC inhibitors are an exciting new addition to the arsenal of cancer therapeutics[2425].
This study focused on the effect of histone deacetylase inhibitor, trichostatin A (TSA) on the survival of QBC939, KMBC, OZ and Mz-ChA-l cell lines and determined if TSA can be used in the treatment of biliary tract cancer. Our results show that TSA could shorten the survival time of QBC939, KMBC, OZ and Mz-ChA-l cell lines in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. We have successfully established a nude mouse model of transplanted gallbladder carcinoma. The growth of biliary tract cancer was inhibited in the mice after treatment with TSA. Our results show that TSA could shorten the survival time of gallbladder carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma cell lines in vivo and in vitro, indicating that TSA is a potential drug for the treatment of biliary tract cancer. It was reported that HDACIs MS-275, NVP-LBH589 and NVP-LAQ824 can effectively inhibit the growth of human biliary tract cancer cells[2627]. However, early diagnosis and treatment of biliary tract cancer are still difficult[29–34]. In order to improve its diagnosis and treatment, further study on its epidemiology, clinicopathology and molecular biology is needed.
COMMENTS
Background
Biliary tract cancer, consisting of gallbladder carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma, presents many challenges to physicians. At present, treatment of biliary tract cancer is difficult. This study focused on the effect of trichostatin A (TSA) on the proliferation of biliary tract cancer cells.
Research frontiers
Cancer is a disease resulting from both genetic and epigenetic changes. There are many important epigenetic changes in its early carcinogenesis. It has been recently shown that histone acetylation/deacetylation is closely related with tumorigenesis. Acetylation of histone plays a very important but incompletely understood role in genetic regulation. Histone deacetylase inhibitors could markedly inhibit the growth of tumor cells.
Innovations and breakthroughs
TSA can inhibit the growth of cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder carcinoma cell lines in vitro and in vivo.
Applications
TSA can be used as a potential drug for the treatment of biliary tract cancer.
Peer review
This manuscript describes the effect of histone deacetylase inhibitor on the proliferation of four biliary tract cancer cell lines. The study was well designed, and had novel findings. The conclusion is of clinical value.
Footnotes
Peer reviewer: Richard A Kozarek, MD, Department of
Gastroenterology, Virginia Mason Medical Center, 1100 Ninth
Avenue, PO Box 900, Seattle 98111-0900, United States
Goodman MT, Yamamoto J. Descriptive study of gallbladder, extrahepatic bile duct, and ampullary cancers in the United States, 1997-2002.Cancer Causes Control. 2007;18:415-422.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Leonard GD, O'Reilly EM. Biliary tract cancers: current concepts and controversies.Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2005;6:211-223.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Wang BS, Qin J, Deng J, Zhang BH, Han TQ, Shen MC, Rashid A, Hsing AW, Gao YT. A survey on the diagnosis and treatment of biliary tract cancers in Shanghai.Zhonghua Waike Zazhi. 2005;43:455-459.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Inui K. Biliary tract cancer: present status in early diagnosis and treatment.Nippon Shokakibyo Gakkai Zasshi. 2006;103:495-500.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Berardi R, Scartozzi M, Freddari F, Squadroni M, Santinelli A, Bearzi I, Fabris G, Cascinu S. Biliary tract cancers: molecular profiling as a tool for treatment decisions. A literature review.Cancer Treat Rev. 2006;32:333-347.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Weidman JR, Dolinoy DC, Murphy SK, Jirtle RL. Cancer susceptibility: epigenetic manifestation of environmental exposures.Cancer J. 2007;13:9-16.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Brock MV, Herman JG, Baylin SB. Cancer as a manifestation of aberrant chromatin structure.Cancer J. 2007;13:3-8.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Martinez-Lopez W, Di Tomaso MV. Chromatin remodelling and chromosome damage distribution.Hum Exp Toxicol. 2006;25:539-545.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Yuan GC, Ma P, Zhong W, Liu JS. Statistical assessment of the global regulatory role of histone acetylation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.Genome Biol. 2006;7:R70.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Rasheed WK, Johnstone RW, Prince HM. Histone deacetylase inhibitors in cancer therapy.Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2007;16:659-678.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Ryu JK, Lee WJ, Lee KH, Hwang JH, Kim YT, Yoon YB, Kim CY. SK-7041, a new histone deacetylase inhibitor, induces G2-M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cell lines.Cancer Lett. 2006;237:143-154.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Kageyama S, Liu H, Nagata M, Aoki F. Stage specific expression of histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) during oogenesis and early preimplantation development in mice.J Reprod Dev. 2006;52:99-106.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Sirica AE. Cholangiocarcinoma: molecular targeting strategies for chemoprevention and therapy.Hepatology. 2005;41:5-15.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Zhou C, Qiu L, Sun Y, Healey S, Wanebo H, Kouttab N, Di W, Yan B, Wan Y. Inhibition of EGFR/PI3K/AKT cell survival pathway promotes TSA's effect on cell death and migration in human ovarian cancer cells.Int J Oncol. 2006;29:269-278.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Cecconi D, Donadelli M, Rinalducci S, Zolla L, Scupoli MT, Scarpa A, Palmieri M, Righetti PG. Proteomic analysis of pancreatic endocrine tumor cell lines treated with the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A.Proteomics. 2007;7:1644-1653.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Rokhlin OW, Glover RB, Guseva NV, Taghiyev AF, Kohlgraf KG, Cohen MB. Mechanisms of cell death induced by histone deacetylase inhibitors in androgen receptor-positive prostate cancer cells.Mol Cancer Res. 2006;4:113-123.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Saha A, Wittmeyer J, Cairns BR. Chromatin remodelling: the industrial revolution of DNA around histones.Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2006;7:437-447.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Gallinari P, Di Marco S, Jones P, Pallaoro M, Steinkuhler C. HDACs, histone deacetylation and gene transcription: from molecular biology to cancer therapeutics.Cell Res. 2007;17:195-211.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Lin HY, Chen CS, Lin SP, Weng JR, Chen CS. Targeting histone deacetylase in cancer therapy.Med Res Rev. 2006;26:397-413.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Marchion D, Munster P. Development of histone deacetylase inhibitors for cancer treatment.Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2007;7:583-598.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Clayton AL, Hazzalin CA, Mahadevan LC. Enhanced histone acetylation and transcription: a dynamic perspective.Mol Cell. 2006;23:289-296.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Baradari V, Hopfner M, Huether A, Schuppan D, Scherubl H. Histone deacetylase inhibitor MS-275 alone or combined with bortezomib or sorafenib exhibits strong antiproliferative action in human cholangiocarcinoma cells.World J Gastroenterol. 2007;13:4458-4466.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Bluethner T, Niederhagen M, Caca K, Serr F, Witzigmann H, Moebius C, Mossner J, Wiedmann M. Inhibition of histone deacetylase for the treatment of biliary tract cancer: a new effective pharmacological approach.World J Gastroenterol. 2007;13:4761-4770.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Saito S, Ghosh M, Morita K, Hirano T, Miwa M, Todoroki T. The genetic differences between gallbladder and bile duct cancer cell lines.Oncol Rep. 2006;16:949-956.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Hirono S, Tani M, Kawai M, Ina S, Uchiyama K, Yamaue H. Indication of hepatopancreatoduodenectomy for biliary tract cancer.World J Surg. 2006;30:567-573; discussion 574-575.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Kim ST, Park JO, Lee J, Lee KT, Lee JK, Choi SH, Heo JS, Park YS, Kang WK, Park K. A Phase II study of gemcitabine and cisplatin in advanced biliary tract cancer.Cancer. 2006;106:1339-1346.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Wiedmann M, Feisthammel J, Bluthner T, Tannapfel A, Kamenz T, Kluge A, Mossner J, Caca K. Novel targeted approaches to treating biliary tract cancer: the dual epidermal growth factor receptor and ErbB-2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor NVP-AEE788 is more efficient than the epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors gefitinib and erlotinib.Anticancer Drugs. 2006;17:783-795.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Sugawara G, Nagino M, Nishio H, Ebata T, Takagi K, Asahara T, Nomoto K, Nimura Y. Perioperative synbiotic treatment to prevent postoperative infectious complications in biliary cancer surgery: a randomized controlled trial.Ann Surg. 2006;244:706-714.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
de Aretxabala X, Roa I, Berrios M, Hepp J, Gallardo J, Cordova A, Roa JC, Leon J, Maluenda F. Chemoradiotherapy in gallbladder cancer.J Surg Oncol. 2006;93:699-704.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
Park JY, Park BK, Ko JS, Bang S, Song SY, Chung JB. Bile acid analysis in biliary tract cancer.Yonsei Med J. 2006;47:817-825.
[PubMed] [DOI][Cited in This Article: ]
