Effect of nickel sulfate on cellular proliferation and Epstein-Barr virus antigen expression in lymphoblastoid cell lines.

Nickel is found in high levels in the environment of the high-risk areas for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) of China. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with NPC and the interaction of nickel and EBV may be a contributive cofactor to the development of NPC. The study of the in vitro effect of nickel sulfate on cell proliferation and EBV-antigen expression demonstrated that nickel increases cell proliferation of some EBV-positive lymphoblastoid cell lines and increases early antigen expression of Raji cells. Nickel exerted variable effects on viral capsid antigen (VCA): increasing VCA-positive cells in B95-8 cells while decreasing VCA in P3HR-1 cells. It is proposed that the uptake of nickel in NPC high-risk areas could be one of the factors responsible for cancer development in the nasopharynx in China.