Growth, morphology and chemosensitivity studies on postconfluent cells cultured in 'V'-bottomed microtiter plates

• Published in: British journal of cancer Vol. 66; no. 4; pp. 660 - 665
• Main Authors: PIZAO, P. E, LYARUU, D. M, PETERS, G. J, VAN ARK-OTTE, J, WINOGRAD, B, GIACCONE, G, PINEDO, H. M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basingstoke Nature Publishing Group 01.10.1992
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Breast Neoplasms - drug therapy; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - drug therapy; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - pathology; Cell Division; Colonic Neoplasms - drug therapy; Colonic Neoplasms - pathology; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor - methods; Feasibility Studies; Female; General aspects (metabolism, cell proliferation, established cell line...); Head and Neck Neoplasms - drug therapy; Head and Neck Neoplasms - pathology; Humans; Medical sciences; Ovarian Neoplasms - drug therapy; Ovarian Neoplasms - pathology; Rhodamines; Tumor cell; Tumor Cells, Cultured - pathology; Tumors; Human; Antineoplastic agent; Cell proliferation; Cell culture; Confluence; Cytotoxicity test; Morphology; Established cell line; Models; Malignant tumor; In vitro; Tumor cell
• ISSN: 0007-0920; 1532-1827
• DOI: 10.1038/bjc.1992.333

This study assessed the growth pattern, cellular organisation and chemosensitivity of established human tumour cell lines growing as postconfluent cultures in 'V'-bottomed, 96-well microtiter plates. Cross-sections of the colon (HT29, SW620, SW1116), ovarian (A2780) and head and neck (UM-SCC-22B) carcinoma microcultures allowed in situ evaluation of the cellular organisation in the wells. After 5 days of growth, every cell line had reached confluence, but each of them displayed a specific pattern of cell stacking which ranged from two to ten layers. Postconfluent HT29 cells displayed morphologic features suggestive of some degree of enterocytic differentiation. Growth and cytotoxicity could be studied reliably and reproducibly in this system with the sulforhodamine B protein assay. Against HT29 postconfluent cultures, the EC50's (drug concentrations producing absorbance readings 50% lower than those of non-treated wells) of 5-fluorouracil and of the ether lipid, hexadecylphosphocholine, were 1 mM and 50 microM respectively. The possibility to perform chemosensitivity tests using semiautomated microtiter plate technology supports further evaluation of this system as an alternative antitumour drug testing model.