Reporting long-term effects of metabolic stress on human ovary carcinoma

Abstract

A key challenge in cancer treatment is the wide range of cancer cells’ behavior towards chemotherapy and treatment procedures, which makes the outcomes of treatment often unpredictable, accompanied by cancer resistance and recurrence. One underlying reason is that tumor is a heterogeneous tissue. The cells within a tumor are at different metabolic states and hence behave differently from another and towards the chemotherapeutics. Many of the cells in the inner layers of a tumor lack an appropriate growth condition. However, upon tumor shrinkage, they can regrow and finally cause tumor resistance or recurrence. In the current study, for the first time, long term effects of different levels of metabolic stress on human ovary cancer cell line, A2780, is reported. In this in vitro model, the cells exposed to 10% serum were considered as control and metabolic stress was induced at 0.5, 0.25 and 0% serum for 1-6 days. In this 6-day period, cells’ morphology changes, size, cell cycle, mitochondrial function and protein content was measured at 24-hour intervals. Also, cells ability to recur was assessed with the above tests in a 24-hour release in 10% serum. The results of this study showed that A2780 cells show resistant features against metabolic stress and this longterm stress does not stop cells recurrence. These results indicate that in order to have a successful tumor treatment, a modified chemotherapy procedures against different types of cells laying within one tumor is required.