Cytotoxic effects of activated alveolar macrophages on lung carcinoma cells via cell-to-cell contact and nitric oxide.
OBJECTIVE
It is possible that macrophages may be effective for cancer treatment because once activated, lung macrophages have enhanced contact with lung tumor cells and have a cytotoxic effect. In this paper, we report that nitric oxide (NO) produced by lung macrophages activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) suppressed cell growth of human lung adenocarcinoma cells.


METHODS
A549, a lung adenocarcinoma cell line, was cultured with NR8383, a rat alveolar macrophage cell line, in the presence and absence of LPS. The effect of LPS on the growth rate of A549 cells was examined as a function of NO production under cell-to-cell contact conditions.


RESULTS
NR8383 cells showed potent cytostatic and cytocidal effects on A549 cells when both cells were co-cultured in the presence of LPS. These effects were mainly due to the production of NO, but another possible mechanism, such as cell-to-cell contact, may also be involved.


CONCLUSIONS
Activation of alveolar macrophages by LPS suppresses the growth of lung carcinoma cells via NO production under cell-to-cell contact conditions.
Sawachi
Keiichi
K
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda, Chiba 278-8510, Japan.
Shimada
Yasuteru
Y
Taniguchi
Hiroaki
H
Hirota
Keiji
K
Inagawa
Hiroyuki
H
Kohchi
Chie
C
Soma
Gen-Ichiro
G
Makino
Kimiko
K
Terada
Hiroshi
H
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication; D002455:Cell Division; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D006801:Humans; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008262:Macrophage Activation; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar / Q000276:immunology*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats
D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D009569:Nitric Oxide