Growth inhibitory effect of 4-phenyl butyric acid on human gastric cancer cells is associated with cell cycle arrest.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the growth effects of 4-phenyl butyric acid (PBA) on human gastric carcinoma cells and their mechanisms.


METHODS
Moderately-differentiated human gastric carcinoma SGC-7901 and lowly-differentiated MGC-803 cells were treated with 5, 10, 20, 40, and 60 μmol/L PBA for 1-4 d. Cell proliferation was detected using the MTT colorimetric assay. Cell cycle distributions were examined using flow cytometry.


RESULTS
The proliferation of gastric carcinoma cells was inhibited by PBA in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. Flow cytometry showed that SGC-7901 cells treated with low concentrations of PBA were arrested at the G₀/G₁ phase, whereas cells treated with high concentrations of PBA were arrested at the G₂/M phase. Although MGC-803 cells treated with low concentrations of PBA were also arrested at the G₀/ G₁ phase, cells treated with high concentrations of PBA were arrested at the S phase.


CONCLUSIONS
The growth inhibitory effect of PBA on gastric cancer cells is associated with alteration of the cell cycle. For moderately-differentiated gastric cancer cells, the cell cycle was arrested at the G₀ /G₁ and G₂/M phases. For lowly-differentiated gastric cancer cells, the cell cycle was arrested at the G₀/G₁ and S phases.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ningbo University School of Medicine, Ningbo 315211, Zhejiang Province, China.
Long-Zhu
LZ
Li
Hong-Xia
HX
Deng
Wen-Zhu
WZ
Lou
Xue-Yan
XY
Sun
Meng-Wan
MW
Song
Jing
J
Tao
Bing-Xiu
BX
Xiao
Jun-Ming
JM
Guo
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006131:Growth Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D010654:Phenylbutyrates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D006131:Growth Inhibitors; D010654:Phenylbutyrates; C075773:4-phenylbutyric acid