Influence of hydrogen combined with natural killer cells in lung cancer cell growth

Objective To study whether the different concentrations of hydrogen combined with natural killer (NK) cells can contribute to the inhibition of lung cancer cell growth. Methods NK cells were isolated and cultured from peripheral blood of patients with non-small cell lung cancer.NK cells were treated with 20%, 40%, 60% hydrogen at different concentrations.NK cell growth curve was measured by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay, NK cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry, the secretion of inflammatory factors in NK cells was analyzed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, in order to assess the impact of hydrogen on the proliferation of NK cells.NK cells and A549 cells (lung cancer cells) were added to co-culture system with a ratio of 1∶1 treated with different concentrations of hydrogen at the level of 20%, 40%, and 60%.The clone-forming, migration, and invasion ability of A549 cells were analyzed to evaluate the killing ability of hydrogen combined with NK cells. Results All the concentrations of hydrogen at the level of 20%, 40%, and 60% had little impact on the proliferation of NK cells.In the clone-forming and migration ability of A549 cells, 60% of the hydrogen combined with NK cells exhibited a little effect on inhibition, whereas, 20% or 40% of the hydrogen had no such effect.Nevertheless, all concentrations of the hydrogen combined with NK cells exhibited no effect on the invasion ability of A549 cells. Conclusions The combination of 60% of the hydrogen and NK cells could inhibit clone-forming and migration ability, as well as tumor growth, which provides a framework for future studies involving combined treatment of 60% of the hydrogen and NK cells for lung cancer. Key words: Carcinoma, non-small-cell lung; Hydrogen; Natural killer cell; Cell proliferation; Anti-tumor ability