Original ContributionSelenite induces apoptosis in sarcomatoid malignant mesothelioma cells through oxidative stress
Section snippets
Chemicals
Selenite (Na2SeO3), Tris–HCl, EDTA, Hepes, DMSO, sodium azide (NaN3), H2O2, 5,5′-dithiobis(nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB), guanidine–HCl, bovine serum albumin, sodium deoxycholate, Biuret reagent, glutathione (GSH), insulin from bovine pancreas, ascorbic acid, 2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCF), and NADPH were all purchased from Sigma (St. Louis, MO, USA). Doxorubicin (adriamycin) was obtained from Pharmacia & Upjohn (Stockholm, Sweden). Baker’s yeast glutathione reductase (GR) and
Characterization of cells
The doubling time was comparable between the STAV-AB and the STAV-FCS cell sublines. When the cells were harvested, they were carefully examined to ensure that the growth patterns remained epithelioid and sarcomatoid, respectively. STAV-AB cultures have a cobblestone appearance (Fig. 1A), whereas STAV-FCS cells have a length:width ratio exceeding 2:1 (Fig. 1B). Immunocytochemical analysis showed that the epithelioid STAV-AB cells were strongly reactive to cytokeratin antibodies, but the
Discussion
Malignant mesothelioma is a tumor that may exhibit two phenotypes—epithelioid and sarcomatoid—which seem to have different mechanisms for cancer progression [4] and respond differently to therapy. Presence of the sarcomatoid phenotype in a tumor correlates to therapy resistance and a worse prognosis. Mesothelioma responds poorly and often only partially to treatment [20], [21], which may be explained by the tumor cell heterogeneity. Our previous molecular characterization reveals profound
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Ms. Mervi Nurminen and Ms. Ingrid Norman for skillful technical assistance, as well as to Professor Anders Hjerpe for his unfailing support in all aspects of this study. This study was supported by grants from the Swedish Cancer and Allergy Fund, the Swedish Society of Medicine, and the Swedish Heart and Lung Association.
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