Part I. Development of a model system for studying nitric oxide in tumors: High nitric oxide-adapted head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines

Yaroslav R. Yarmolyuk, Benjamin J. Vesper, William A. Paradise, Kim M. Elseth, Gabor Tarjan, G. Kenneth Haines, James A. Radosevich

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

The free radical nitric oxide (NO) is over-expressed in many tumors, including head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC); however, the role NO plays in tumor pathophysiology is still not well understood. We, herein, report the development of an in vitro model system which can be used to probe the role of NO in the carcinogenesis of HNSCC. Five HNSCC cell lines were adapted to a high NO (HNO) environment by gradually introducing increasing concentrations of DETA-NONOate, a nitrogen-based NO donor, to cell media. The adaptation process was carried out until a sufficiently high enough donor concentration was reached which enabled the HNO cells to survive and grow, but which was lethal to the original, unadapted ("parent") cells. The adapted HNO cells exhibited analogous morphology to the parent cells, but grew better than their corresponding parent cells in normal media, on soft agar, and in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, an oxygen-based free radical donor. These results indicate that the HNO cell lines are unique and possess biologically different properties than the parent cell lines from which they originated. The HNO/parent cell lines developed herein may be used as a model system to better understand the role NO plays in HNSCC carcinogenesis.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)77-85
Number of pages9
JournalTumor Biology
Volume32
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2011
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Free radical exposure
  • Head and neck cancer
  • Nitric oxide
  • Nitric oxide synthase (NOS)
  • Nitrogen reactive species
  • Oral cancer
  • Squamous cell carcinoma

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