Prostaglandin D2 inhibits the proliferation of human neuroblastoma cells.

The cytotoxic action of prostaglandin (PG) D2, E1 and F2 alpha was examined on human neuroblastoma cells (NB-1 cell line), and PGD2 was found to be the most effective. PGE1, thought to be the most effective among all PGs in the therapy of neuroblastoma, was much less effective than PGD2. PGF2 alpha did not show any inhibitory effect on the proliferation of NB-1 cells. When PGD2 was added, the cytoplasma became microscopically larger, then the cells gradually died off. PGD2 also exerted a dose-dependent inhibition of DNA and RNA syntheses. These results strongly suggest an antineoplastic activity of PGD2 for human neuroblastoma.