HUMAN PERITONEAL MESOTHELIAL CELLS ARE MORE POTENT THAN OVARIAN-CANCER CELLS IN PRODUCING TUMOR-MARKER CA-125

The aim of the present study was to investigate the extent to which hu man peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs) are able to participate in th e release of tumor marker CA-125 in ovarian cancer and other condition s associated with an involvement of the peritoneum. For this purpose C A-125 shedding was measured in the supernatant culture medium of HPMCs obtained from various donors and seven well-established ovarian cance r cell lines (OVCAR-3, 2780, 2774, SKOV-6, SKOV-8, HOC-7, HTB-77). Fur thermore, the influence of inflammatory cytokines [interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon gamma (IFN-gamma)] on CA-125 release in normal and malignant cells was also studied. Constitutive CA-125 shedding was found to be about five time s higher in HPMCs as compared with the investigated ovarian cancer cel l lines. IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha treatment of HPMCs resulted in a sign ificant reduction in CA-125 release; however, no consistent pattern in CA-125 secretion was found during incubation with either IL-1 beta or TNF-alpha in the various malignant cell lines. IFN-gamma, on the othe r hand, induced a highly significant increase in CA-125 secretion in o varian cancer cells, but did not influence the shedding of CA-125 in H PMCs. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.