Hyperthermic potentiation of cisplatin toxicity in a human small cell lung carcinoma cell line and a cisplatin resistant subline.

A human small cell lung carcinoma cell line (GLC4) and its subline with in vitro acquired cisplatin (cDDP) resistance (GLC4-cDDP) were used to study the applicability of hyperthermia to interfere with acquired cDDP resistance. GLC4 and GLC4-cDDP did not differ in heat sensitivity (clonogenic ability). Both cell lines could be sensitized to cisplatin to a considerable extent, both at 42 and 43 degrees C. For 42 degrees C hyperthermia treatments up to 90 min no differences in TER between the cell lines were observed. Only prolonged (> or = 45 min) exposures to 43 degrees C hyperthermia sensitized the resistant cell line to a greater extent than the parent cell line, resulting in a reduction of the resistance factor from 3.6 (at 37 degrees C) to 1.7 (60 min 43 degrees C). The finding in this human system that for treatments up to 90 min, 43 degrees C heat is more suitable than 42 degrees C heat to reduce cDDP resistance, is in accordance with earlier findings with murine cells (Konings et al. 1993). Effects of heat, cisplatin and combined treatments on cell killing were not only measured with the clonogenic assay, but also with the microculture tetrazolium method (MTT assay), an assay of potential use in the clinic for rapid screening of cells obtained from patients. The data with the latter assay were comparable to those obtained with the clonogenic assay. However, its applicability to measure thermo-chemosensitization is limited due to its inability to measure more than one log of cell killing.