Specific amino acid profile in culture media conditioned by human pancreatic cancer cell lines.
BACKGROUND
In malignant diseases, circulating amino acid profiles correlate with organ sites of malignancy. Direct effects of malignant cells on the extracellular amino acid profile are still uncertain.


METHODS
Free amino acids were measured in serum-free culture media (RPMI-1640) conditioned by two human pancreatic cancer cell lines (Panc-1 and HPAF), a hamster pancreatic cancer cell line (PC-1), a human epidermoid carcinoma cell line (A-431), and a human fibroblastic cell line (Ag-1523). Non-conditioned RPMI-1640 medium was used as control.


RESULTS
Amino acid profiles were changed in all the conditioned media, caused by a decrease or increase in the original amino acids and by the appearance of amino acids that were not present in non-conditioned medium. Media conditioned by two human pancreatic cancer cell lines showed similar amino acid profiles, which were characterized by a decrease in glutamine, cysteine and serine, increase in glycine, proline and glutamic acid and appearance of ornithine and alanine.


CONCLUSIONS
Culture media show changed amino acid profiles following incubation with cell lines of pancreatic or non-pancreatic origins. Different human pancreatic cancer cell lines cause similar changes in amino acid profiles of media.
Department of Surgery, Karolinska Institute at Huddinge University Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden. feng.wang@karo.ki.se
Feng
F
Wang
Johan
J
Permert
D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D000818:Animals; D006224:Cricetinae; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned / Q000737:chemistry*; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free / Q000737:chemistry; D005947:Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D000596:Amino Acids; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D005947:Glucose