title: Effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapeutic cytokines on a human salivary cell line.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Various malignancies are treated with radiotherapy or chemotherapy, or a combination of both. Unfortunately, these therapies also inflict damage to neighboring healthy tissues, such as salivary glands, during treatment for head and neck tumors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the possible interaction between radiotherapy and chemotherapeutic cytokines [TNF-alpha and INF-gamma] on cell growth and survival, as well as IL-6 production in a human salivary cell line [HSG], and to examine the nature of salivary cellular death inflicted by the irradiation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A pronounced inhibitory effect on HSG cell growth was demonstrated 72 hours following treatment of the cells with TNF-alpha [10 u/ml] and INF-gamma [1000 u/ml] [69%, p < 0.01] or TNF-alpha [10 u/ml] and irradiation [15 Gy] [66%, p < 0.01]. This reduction in cell viability was accompanied by a pronounced increase in IL-6 production by the cells. Seventy-two hours post-irradiation [15 Gy], the HSG cell death rate was 70-75%, in agreement with a delayed salivary reproductive cell death model which could explain the life-long xerostomia which often results in head and neck irradiated patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Nagler
mesh_terms: D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000528:radiation effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013997:Time Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014965:X-Rays
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma