Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2003 Sep-Oct;39(8-9):340-2.
doi: 10.1290/1543-706X(2003)039<0340:DSTSCA>2.0.CO;2.

Differential sensitivity to short-chain ceramide analogues of human intestinal carcinoma cells grown in tumor spheroids versus monolayer culture

Affiliations

Differential sensitivity to short-chain ceramide analogues of human intestinal carcinoma cells grown in tumor spheroids versus monolayer culture

Erica L Lowthers et al. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim. 2003 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

The cytotoxic activity of short-chain (C(2)) ceramide was evaluated in human intestinal carcinoma cells grown as multicellular tumor spheroids versus the same cells cultured as monolayers under closely comparable conditions. A decrease in cell number was seen in monolayer cultures of HT-29, Caco-2, and HRT-18 cells, with an EC(50) (concentration for half-maximal toxicity) of between 13 and 23 microM. However, when the same cells were grown in the multicellular spheroid format, C(2) was markedly less potent in reducing cell number, with an EC(50) of between 44 and 63 microM, representing a 1.9- to 4.9-fold decrease in its potency. The chemotherapeutic agents 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin were equally potent against spheroids and monolayer cultures, indicating that although drug access is a problem in conventionally grown tumor spheroids it is not a problem for spheroids grown under the conditions used in this study. Our results suggest that although ceramide is capable of inducing cell death in intestinal carcinoma cells grown in spheroid culture, its cellular toxicity is constrained by influences that are independent of drug access and may be the consequence of the altered cellular relationships. Carcinoma cell populations show an intrinsically decreased responsiveness to the effects of ceramide when they are grown in a three-dimensional culture format.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Cancer Res. 1998 Sep 1;58(17):3765-8 - PubMed
    1. Clin Cancer Res. 1999 Jun;5(6):1583-6 - PubMed
    1. Cancer Res. 1998 Apr 1;58(7):1408-16 - PubMed
    1. J Nutr. 1994 May;124(5):615-20 - PubMed
    1. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2002 Dec 30;1585(2-3):114-25 - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources