[Therapeutic values of prostaglandin D2 in nude mice bearing human ovarian carcinoma].

In vitro and in vivo effects of prostaglandin D2 on human ovarian cancer growth were examined by using a cell line, designated HR, derived from ascites of patient with serous cystadenocarcinoma of the ovary. The HR cell proliferation in vitro was dose-dependently inhibited at prostaglandin D2 concentrations between 0.1 and 4.0 micrograms per ml. The results of a 51Cr-release assay seemed to indicate that the inhibition resulted from a direct cytotoxic effect exerted by prostaglandin D2. All DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis by the HR cells was also inhibited in a dose-dependent manner with 48 hr exposure to prostaglandin D2. When nude mice were inoculated with 5 X 10(5) HR cells, the 50% survival time in the untreated group was 52 days. The 50% survival time of nude mice treated with 12 mg (but not 4 mg) of prostaglandin D2 per kg was significantly prolonged to 67 days, in addition to a significant inhibition of the tumor growth. Adjuvant effects of prostaglandin D2 on cisplatin in relation to tumor growth were also studied. Combinations of 0.2 or 0.4 microgram cisplatin per ml and 0.05 or 0.1 microgram prostaglandin D2 per ml, which did not affect the HR cell proliferation alone, resulted in a significant inhibition of cell proliferation. In addition, the tumor take of HR cells by nude mice in groups treated with a combination of cisplatin and prostaglandin D2 was inhibited.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)