Effects of all-trans retinoic acid on choriocarcinoma cells in vitro.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the activities of all-trans retinoic acid (RA) on choriocarcinoma cells in vitro.


METHODS
The antiproliferative effect of all-trans RA on 4 choriocarcinoma cell lines was measured by the MTT assay. The effect of all-trans RA combined with methotrexate or actinomycin-D was then examined. The effect of all-trans RA on hCG secretion was also studied. The gene expression of retinoic acid receptors (RARs) was examined by RT-PCR.


RESULTS
All-trans RA inhibited cell proliferation dose- and time-dependently; a 6-day exposure to 1 microM all-trans RA suppressed the cell growth by 67.8%-82.0% compared to the controls. An enhanced effect was observed in the combined administration of all-trans RA and methotrexate or actinomycin-D. The secretion of hCG increased 4-fold to 9-fold by the addition of 1 microM all-trans RA. RARs genes were expressed in all cell lines.


CONCLUSIONS
The anticancer activity presented here appears to warrant further evaluation of all-trans RA as adjuvant therapy for choriocarcinoma.
Yamada
S
S
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
Okamoto
T
T
Nakanishi
T
T
Nomura
S
S
Tomoda
Y
Y
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002822:Choriocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000378:metabolism; D003609:Dactinomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000494:pharmacology; D018168:Receptors, Retinoic Acid / Q000502:physiology; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D018168:Receptors, Retinoic Acid; D003609:Dactinomycin; D014212:Tretinoin; D008727:Methotrexate