Cell cycle perturbations in cisplatin-sensitive and resistant human ovarian carcinoma cells following treatment with cisplatin and low dose rate irradiation.

PURPOSE: To investigate cell cycle pertubations in plateau-phase human ovarian carcinoma cells following treatment with cisplatin, low dose-rate irradiation (LDRI), or combined cisplatin and LDRI, in order to understand cell cycle mechanisms by which these two treatment modalities interact.
METHODS: Human ovarian carcinoma cells sensitive (A2780) and resistant (2780CP) to cisplatin were grown to plateau phase and given protracted cisplatin treatments (A2780 0.7 and 2 microg/ml; 2780CP 5 and 15 microg/ml) and/or LDRI (0.41 cGy/min). Cell cycle distribution following treatment was determined by two-parameter flow cytometry, based on bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) uptake and DNA content using propidium iodide staining.
RESULTS: The cisplatin-sensitive A2780 cells exposed to cisplatin alone for up to 28 h showed depletion of the G1 fraction and accumulation in S-phase, although the percentage of S-phase cells actively incorporating BrdU dropped to almost zero. The cisplatin-resistant 2780CP cells exposed to cisplatin alone showed a G1 arrest when exposed to 15 microg/ml, but not when exposed to 5 microg/ml. LDRI alone caused little cell cycle redistribution different from controls in either cell line. When LDRI was combined with cisplatin, no significant cell cycle redistribution was observed, apart from a decline in the actively incorporating S-phase fraction.
CONCLUSIONS: Cisplatin caused A2780 cells to accumulate in nonincorporating S-phase, with no evidence of G1 arrest. Cisplatin-resistant 2780CP cells showed a G1 block when exposed to a high enough cisplatin concentration. This could indicate a mechanism of cisplatin resistance in these cells. LDRI alone or in combination with cisplatin did not result in significant cell cycle redistribution.