title: Aspirin-induced inhibition of ovarian tumor cell growth.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if aspirin inhibits the growth of ovarian tumor cells in vitro and to investigate possible mechanisms involved in inhibition.
  
  
  METHODS
  OVCAR-3 ovarian tumor cells were grown in monolayer cultures and then harvested for use in proliferation assays. The cells were then treated with vehicle (1% absolute ethanol), 1-5-mmol/L aspirin, 1-microg/mL of anti HER-2/neu monoclonal antibody, or 20-ng/mL heregulin, the ligand for the HER-2/neu receptor either alone or in combination. Cellular proliferation was determined spectrophotometrically by the reduction of tetrazolium dye. Expression of Her-2/neu was assessed by flow cytometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Aspirin induced inhibition of OVCAR-3 tumor cell growth in a dose-dependent fashion ranging from little to no inhibitory response in cultures treated with 1-mmol/L aspirin to 68% in those treated with 5-mmol/L aspirin. Expression of HER-2/neu was likewise reduced in a dose-dependent manner from 87% expression in control cells to 16% in those treated with 5-mmol/L aspirin. Addition of heregulin alone resulted in 23% proliferation over the control. The combination of heregulin plus 2-mmol/L aspirin caused 66% inhibition of tumor cell growth, whereas the blocking of the HER-2/neu receptor with the monoclonal antibody resulted in an even greater inhibitory response of 82%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  OVCAR-3 tumor cell growth is inhibited by aspirin, and suppression appears to be potentiated by blocking the HER-2/neu receptor.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida, USA. drake@etsu.edu
authors.forename: Janet G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Drake
authors.forename: Jeanne L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Becker
mesh_terms: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001241:Aspirin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D020890:Neuregulin-1 / Q000494:pharmacology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000276:immunology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D001241:Aspirin; D020890:Neuregulin-1; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases