Cytotoxicity of Clostridium difficile toxin A for human colonic and pancreatic carcinoma cell lines

• Published in: Cancer research (Chicago, Ill.) Vol. 52; no. 18; pp. 5096 - 5099
• Main Authors: KUSHNARYOV, V. M, REDLICH, P. N, SEDMAK, J. J, LYERLY, D. M, WILKINS, T. D, GROSSBERG, S. E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA American Association for Cancer Research 15.09.1992
• Subjects: Antineoplastic agents; Bacterial Toxins - toxicity; Biological and medical sciences; Carcinoma - drug therapy; Cell Survival - drug effects; Clostridium difficile; Colonic Neoplasms - drug therapy; Enterotoxins - toxicity; General aspects; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Medical sciences; Pancreatic Neoplasms - drug therapy; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Time Factors; Tumor Cells, Cultured - drug effects; Antineoplastic agent; Human; Carcinoma; Clostridium difficile; Clostridiales; Cytotoxicity; Malignant tumor; In vitro; Toxin; Cell line; Microbial origin; Clostridiaceae; Digestive diseases; Bacteria; Colon; Exotoxin; Pancreas; Tumor cell
• ISSN: 0008-5472

The use of bacterial exotoxins may constitute novel adjuncts to treatment of gastrointestinal tract malignancies. Clostridium difficile toxin A was evaluated for its cytotoxic effect in vitro on 24 human cell lines and strains including carcinomas of the colon, pancreas, prostate, lung, breast, and lymphoid malignancies, as well as nonmalignant tissues. All nine colon and five pancreas cell lines were extraordinarily sensitive to the cytotoxic effect of Clostridium difficile toxin A at very low concentrations. This effect, which occurred rapidly and was dose dependent, was observed in all cells of seven colon and two pancreas cell lines at concentrations as low as 1-5 ng/ml (10(-12) to 10(-11) M), whereas cells derived from other sites required 60 to greater than 500 ng/ml to achieve an equivalent effect. The data suggest that Clostridium difficile toxin A may have potential therapeutic value in the treatment of some gastrointestinal tract cancers.