Antitumor effects of oxaliplatin on human small cell lung cancer NCI-H446 cells in vitro

Objective:To investigate the effects of oxaliplatin on the proliferation and apoptosis of human small cell lung cancer NCI-H446 cells and to study its mechanism.Methods:NCI-H446 cells were treated with different concentrations of oxaliplatin.The inhibition of NCI-H446 cells proliferation was estimated by MTT assay;Morphologic changes were observed using Hoechst33258;alteration of cell cycle and apoptosis were analyzed using flow cytometry;The activities of caspase-3,caspase-8 and caspase-9 were determined by spectrophotometry.Results:Oxaliplatin could inhibit the proliferation of NCI-H446 cells and the inhibition depended on the exposure time and dose.Marked morphological change of cell apoptosis was observed by Hoechst33258 staining;The analysis of cell cycle indicated that oxaliplatin blocked cells at S phase and sub-G1 cell peak.The activities of caspase-3 and caspase-9 were upregulated in the experimental group compared with the control group(P0.05).On the other hand,the activity of caspase-8 was not significantly different between the experimental group and the control group(P0.05).Conclusion:Oxaliplatin can effectively induce NCI-H446 cell apoptosis by activating the intrinsic apoptosis pathway.