Acute and long-term effects of hyperthermia in B16-F10 melanoma cells

• Published in: PloS one 2012-04, Vol.7 (4), p.e35489-e35489
• Main Authors: Garcia, Mónica Pereira, Cavalheiro, José Roberto Tinoco, Fernandes, Maria Helena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Actin; Adherent cells; Analysis; Animals; Antigens; Apoptosis; Apoptosis - physiology; Biology; Cancer; Cancer metastasis; Cancer therapies; Cancer treatment; Cell cycle; Cell Cycle - physiology; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell morphology; Cell Proliferation; Cell Shape - physiology; Cell Survival - physiology; Cytology; Cytoskeleton; Dehydrogenases; Exposure; Fever; Gene Expression; Genes; Health aspects; Heat; Heat shock; Heat shock proteins; Heat treatment; Hot Temperature; Hyperthermia; Hyperthermia, Induced; Immunotherapy; Long-term effects; Medicine; Melanoma; Melanoma, Experimental - therapy; Metastases; Mice; Muscle proteins; Studies; Time; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Viability
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0035489

Hyperthermia uses exogenous heat induction as a cancer therapy. This work addresses the acute and long-term effects of hyperthermia in the highly metastatic melanoma cell line B16-F10. Melanoma cells were submitted to one heat treatment, 45°C for 30 min, and thereafter were kept at 37°C for an additional period of 14 days. Cultures maintained at 37°C were used as control. Cultures were assessed for the heat shock reaction. Immediately after the heat shock, cells began a process of fast degradation, and, in the first 24 h, cultures showed decreased viability, alterations in cell morphology and F-actin cytoskeleton organization, significant reduction in the number of adherent cells, most of them in a process of late apoptosis, and an altered gene expression profile. A follow-up of two weeks after heat exposure showed that viability and number of adherent cells remained very low, with a high percentage of early apoptotic cells. Still, heat-treated cultures maintained a low but relatively constant population of cells in S and G(2)/M phases for a long period after heat exposure, evidencing the presence of metabolically active cells. The melanoma cell line B16-F10 is susceptible to one hyperthermia treatment at 45°C, with significant induced acute and long-term effects. However, a low but apparently stable percentage of metabolically active cells survived long after heat exposure.