Transformation of prostatic epithelial cells and fibroblasts with cadmium chloride in vitro.

Primary cultures of fibroblasts and epithelial cells were established from rat ventral prostate (RVP), canine (CP), baboon (BP), and human (HP) prostates, and were used in an assay system to evaluate cadmium chloride (CdCl2) cytotoxicity in vitro. Fibroblasts were always more susceptible to CdCl2 cytotoxicity than the epithelial cells of the same species. There was a distinct species variability to CdCl2 cytotoxicity, with RVP cells being greater than 200 times more susceptible than HP. Primary cultures treated with CdCl2 were subcultivated to establish cell lines. Only RVP fibroblast and epithelial cells resulted in permanent cell lines. Two fibroblast and two epithelial cell lines were derived from CdCl2-treated RVP cell cultures. The epithelial cell lines possessed tonofilaments, desmosomes and keratin. All four cell lines were resistant to CdCl2, had different karyotypes and an excess of chromosome 13. These results demonstrate the transforming potential of cadmium on prostate cells. The role of metallothionein and the significance of extra chromosomes 13 are discussed as possible factors of cadmium resistance.