[Comparison of antitumor efficacy between arsacetyl and arsenic trioxide in vitro].
OBJECTIVE
Recently, it was reported that some organic arsenics was stronger than inorganic arsenics in inducing carcinoma cell apoptosis. This study was designed to compare arsacetyl (ASAC), a kind of organic arsenics, with As2O3 in the effect of inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis in carcinoma cells.


METHODS
MTT (Methythiazolyl tetrazolium) assay and analysis of apoptosis were used to evaluate the effects of arsacetyl and As2O3 on the proliferation of SMMC-7721 and their mechanisms. Their toxicity to vessel endothelium cells (VECs) was also determined by using MTT method.


RESULTS
Both As2O3 and arsacetyl significantly inhibited the proliferation of SMMC-7721, the inhibitory effect was dose- and time-dependent and arsacetyl was stronger than As2O3 [e.g. inhibitory ratio: (14.2 +/- 1.5)%, treated with 0.1 mumol/L arsacetyl for 48 h; (27.1 +/- 3.0)%, treated with 0.1 mumol/L arsacetyl for 48 h]. 1 mumol/L As2O3 and 0.1 mumol/L arsacetyl almost had no toxicity to VEC, while they induced SMMC-7721 apoptosis indicated morphologically by "small apoptopic body" formation; DNA ladders appeared on agarose gel electrophoresis. The flow cytometry assay indicated that most of the cells were arrested in S + G2/M phase and the apoptotic peak appeared.


CONCLUSIONS
The ability of arsacetyl inducing apoptosis was stronger than As2O3, and SMMC-7721 in the G0/G1 phase may be the target of drug action.
Huang
Feng-ling
FL
Department of Biomedcine Engineering, College of Automatization, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, P. R. China. Hfengling@263.net
Wang
Yuan-liang
YL
Chen
Chun-xiao
CX
Wang
Hui-nan
HN
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis; D000077237:Arsenic Trioxide; D001152:Arsenicals / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology; D053938:DNA Fragmentation / Q000187:drug effects; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D016193:G1 Phase / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D010087:Oxides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016192:Resting Phase, Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001152:Arsenicals; D010087:Oxides; C469857:arsacetyl; D000077237:Arsenic Trioxide