A Bioassay for the Cytotoxicity of Gemcitabine Using the Marine Ciliate Euplotes vannus

Abstract

This study investigated the cytotoxicity of gemcitabine using the marine ciliate Euplotes vannus as the test organism. The median lethal concentrations ( LC ₅₀ values) were determined using acute toxicity tests within an exposure time of 30 min with 0, 6, 12, 24, and 48 mg mL ⁻¹ gemcitabine. The median inhibition effect ( IC ₅₀ value) on the growth of the ciliate cells was examined using chronic toxicity tests within 5 days (120 h) after exposure for 30 min with 0, 0.7, 3.5, 7, and 14 mg mL ⁻¹ gemcitabine. The 30-min LC ₅₀ value was 10.66 mg mL ⁻¹. The LC ₅₀ values decreased with increasing exposure times and well fitted to the toxicity curve equation LC ₅₀ = 10.93 + 28.4e ^{−0.19 t} ( R ² = 0.93; P < 0.05, t = exposure time). The IC ₅₀ value for growth rates was 7.05 mg mL ⁻¹, and the inhibition effect on growth rates well fitted to the model equation r _% = 0.8681e ^{−0.0782 Cgem} ( r _% means growth rate with inhibition by gemcitabine, C _gem means concentrations of gemcitabine, R ² = 0.99 and P < 0.05). The LC ₅₀ values of a wide range of gemcitabine concentrations could therefore be predicted for any given exposure time. These results suggest that the clinical dose of gemcitabine (20 mg mL ⁻¹) was higher than the 30-min LC ₅₀ value, which was almost the same as the 6-min LC ₅₀ value (19.88 mg mL ⁻¹) for E. vannus cells. The results also demonstrate that E. vannus can be used as a robust test organism for bioassays of chemotherapeutic drugs during short exposure periods.

Journal

Journal ID (publisher-id): JOUC

Title: Journal of Ocean University of China

Publisher: Science Press and Springer (China )

ISSN (Electronic): 1672-5182

Publication date (Electronic): 14 May 2019

Publication date (Print): 01 June 2019

Volume: 18

Issue: 3

Pages: 675-679

Affiliations

¹ Department of Urology Surgery, Qingdao Municipal Hospital Group, Qingdao 266000, China

² College of Marine Life Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China

³ Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK

Author notes

*Corresponding author: XU Henglong

Article

Publisher ID: s11802-019-4004-5

DOI: 10.1007/s11802-019-4004-5

Copyright statement: Copyright © Ocean University of China, Science Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany 2019.

License:

The copyright to this article, including any graphic elements therein (e.g. illustrations, charts, moving images), is hereby assigned for good and valuable consideration to the editorial office of Journal of Ocean University of China, Science Press and Springer effective if and when the article is accepted for publication and to the extent assignable if assignability is restricted for by applicable law or regulations (e.g. for U.S. government or crown employees).

Product

Self URI (journal-page): https://www.springer.com/journal/11802