MODULATION OF RAT COLON-CANCER CELL ADHESIVENESS BY PGE1 ANALOG MISOPROSTOL OR INDOMETHACIN

Background - Prostaglandins are involved in cancer cells adhesiveness: an important parameter in cancer metastasis. Methods - We used exogen ous misoprostol, indomethacin and dbc-AMP on the progressive (TRb) or regressive (TSb) colon cancer cells to show adhesivity on plastic, end othelial monolayers or cancer cells. Results - TRb and TSb cells adher ed better to plastic than to endothelial cells. TSb cells adhered less well to TRb cells than TSb to TRb cells. Misoprostol increased the ra te of adhesiveness of both cell lines to endothelial cells. This effec t was not reproduced with dbc-AMP which decreased the rate of adhesive ness. Indomethacin increased the rate for TRb cells but had only a sli ght effect on TSb cells Conclusion: Prostaglandins could be of interes t in treating cancer cells to limit the number of metastasis. They wou ld have to be given locally at the site of the primary tumor in order to decrease the cell migration and thus the rate of metastasis.