Interaction of γ Interferon and 5-Fluorouracil in the H630 Human Colon Carcinoma Cell Line

Edward Chu, Sydelle Zinn, Donna Boarman, Carmen J. Allegra

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

186 Scopus citations

Abstract

The antiproliferative effects and pharmacological interactions of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in combination with γ interferon (IFN-γ) were determined against the human colon carcinoma H630 cell line in vitro. H630 was 9-fold more resistant to 5-FU, as compared to a relatively sensitive human colon line (CI). IFN-γ showed modest antiproliferative activity against the H630 line, with a 50% inhibitory concentration of 440 units/ ml. Simultaneous treatment of H630 with subinhibitory concentrations of IFN-γ and 5-FU produced a significant enhancement of the 5-FU-associated growth inhibition. The growth-inhibitory activity of the combination against H630 was prevented by the addition of 20 µm thymidine. Thymidylate synthase (TS) activity was measured by both the 5-fluoro-2′-deoxyuridine-5 ′-monophosphate binding and catalytic assays, using cytosolic extracts. A 24-h exposure to 1 µM 5-FU in the H630 line resulted in a 3.1-fold increase in the total amount of TS, while in the 5-FU/IFN-γ-treated cells TS remained unchanged from non-drug-treated control levels. Moreover, we found that free thymidylate synthase in the 5-FU/IFN-γ-treated cells was significantly decreased, as compared to the cells treated with 5-FU alone. Incorporation of 5-FU into both the RNA and DNA fractions did not change with the addition of IFN-γ. Accumulation of the fluoropyrimidine metabolites 5-fluoro-2′-deoxyuri-dine-5′-monophosphate and 5-fluorouridine-5′-triphosphate remained the same for 5-FU alone and the combination treatment. These findings suggest that acute TS induction by 5-FU may provide an important mechanism by which human colon carcinoma cells express decreased sensitivity to 5-FU and that IFN-′ can reverse the development of resistance to 5-FU in the H630 line by inhibiting the overexpression of TS that results from 5-FU exposure. These studies contribute to a growing understanding of the complex interaction between 5-FU and IFN-γ.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)5834-5840
Number of pages7
JournalCancer research
Volume50
Issue number18
StatePublished - Sep 15 1990
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

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