EFFECTS OF INDOMETHACIN WITH OR WITHOUT LINOLEIC-ACID ON HUMAN BREAST-CANCER CELLS IN-VITRO

The effect of indomethacin (INDO) with or without the addition of lino leic acid (LA) was investigated in a cultured MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell line. It was found that INDO without LA suppressed cell gr owth and thymidine incorporation; however, with the addition of LA, IN DO at low concentration promoted these factors, whereas INDO at higher concentrations suppressed them. On the hand, INDO with or without the addition of LA reduced the secretion of prostaglandin E (PGE). Howeve r, INDO at a low concentration (1 mu g/ml) with the addition of LA inc reased the secretion of leukotriene B (LTB), while INDO without LA had no effect on the secretion of LTB, When the relationship between cell growth and PGE or LTB concentration was investigated, cell growth was associated with the PGE and LTB concentrations when the cells were tr eated with INDO and LA, whereas it was associated only with the PGE co ncentration when they were treated with INDO alone.