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Differential effects of sevoflurane on the growth and apoptosis of human cancer cell lines

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A Correction to this article was published on 03 December 2019

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Abstract

Purpose

There have been contradictory findings regarding the effects of sevoflurane on the oncogenic properties of cancer cells. This study was conducted to gain insights into the fundamental rules governing the differential effects of sevoflurane exposure on various cancer cells derived from multiple origins.

Methods

A series of cancer cell lines were exposed to 1% (v/v) sevoflurane for 2–8 h and then assessed for their proliferation, Matrigel invasion, and apoptotic cell death, in comparison with their untreated counterparts. Cell proliferation and Matrigel invasion assays were performed using Coulter counter and Boyden chamber techniques, respectively. Apoptosis was evaluated by staining cells with Annexin V and 7-AAD followed by fluorescence flow cytometry. In addition, the expression of cleaved caspase-3 protein, another marker of apoptosis, was assessed using immunoblotting.

Results

Proliferation was significantly enhanced after sevoflurane exposure in six of eight cancer cell lines (NCI-H1299, MDA-MB-231, HCT116, DLD-1, HT29, and RKO). In contrast, sevoflurane attenuated proliferation in the last two cancer cell lines, A549 and MCF-7, as well as in the non-cancerous MCF10A cell line. Cell biological assays using four cancer cell lines demonstrated that accelerated but not attenuated cancer cell proliferation after sevoflurane exposure is associated with enhanced Matrigel invasion and suppressed apoptosis.

Conclusion

Sevoflurane augmented or hampered cell proliferation and Matrigel invasion depending on the cancer cell line examined. Loss of sevoflurane-induced apoptosis occurring in cancer cell lines is likely to be correlated with their enhanced proliferation after sevoflurane exposure.

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Change history

  • 03 December 2019

    The article Differential effects of sevoflurane on the growth and apoptosis of human cancer cell lines, written by Takahiro Hirai, Yuko Konishi, Shoko Mizuno, Zhou Rui, Yao Sun and Kimitoshi Nishiwaki, was originally published electronically on the publisher’s internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on 31 October 2019 with open access. With the author(s)’ decision to step back from Open Choice, the copyright of the article changed on 5 December 2019 to © Japanese Society of Anesthesiologists 2019 and the article is forthwith distributed under the terms of copyright.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Mr. Minoru Tanaka in the Division of Medical Research Engineering, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, for assistance with flow cytometry. This study was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) [15K15569 to TH, 16K10932 to YK, 15K20042 to SM], as well as the Program to supporting research activities of female researchers from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan, 2016–2018 (to YK). This study constitutes the doctoral thesis of T.H.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan

    Takahiro Hirai, Zhou Rui, Yao Sun & Kimitoshi Nishiwaki

  2. Endowed Division of Perioperative Management, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan

    Yuko Konishi

  3. Aichi Spine Institute, 31-1, Kamiike, Goromaru, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-0066, Japan

    Shoko Mizuno

Authors
  1. Takahiro Hirai
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  2. Yuko Konishi
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  3. Shoko Mizuno
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  4. Zhou Rui
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  5. Yao Sun
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  6. Kimitoshi Nishiwaki
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Correspondence to Yuko Konishi.

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The original version of this article was revised due to retrospective open access cancellation order.

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Hirai, T., Konishi, Y., Mizuno, S. et al. Differential effects of sevoflurane on the growth and apoptosis of human cancer cell lines. J Anesth 34, 47–57 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00540-019-02701-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00540-019-02701-w

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