The difference in chemosensitivity to antineoplastic agents of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells under normo-oxygenated or hypoxic conditions.

In order to select more effective drugs under hypoxia for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, the cytotoxicity of antineoplastic agents for two hepatoma cell lines, PLC/PRF/5 and HuH-7, was examined under both oxygenated and hypoxic conditions. Mitomycin C was observed potentially to have enhanced cytotoxicity under hypoxic conditions for both hepatoma cell lines. Carboquone showed enhanced cytotoxicity under hypoxia for PLC/PRF/5 alone. On the other hand, there was no cytotoxic enhancement of adriamycin or cisplatin in either cell line. Thus, the sensitivity of tumour cells to the cytotoxic agents altered according to the conditions to which the tumour was exposed. The selection of the antineoplastic drugs for chemotherapy therefore should depend not only on the sensitivity of individual tumours to various drugs, but the alteration of the cytotoxicity of the drugs under certain conditions should also be carefully taken into account.