Growth and Characterization of LNCaP Prostate Cancer Cell Spheroids

Cells from the prostate tumor cell line LNCaP have been grown as spheroids. The growth kinetics of the spheroids have been characterized by fitting a Gompertz equation to spheroid growth curves. The proliferation state of cells within spheroids of different diameters was assessed by bromodeoxyuridin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical cancer research 1999-10, Vol.5 (10), p.3171s-3176s
Main Authors: Ballangrud, A M, Yang, W H, Dnistrian, A, Lampen, N M, Sgouros, G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bromodeoxyuridine - metabolism
Cell Division
Humans
Male
Prostate-Specific Antigen - blood
Prostatic Neoplasms - pathology
Spheroids, Cellular - pathology
Tumor Cells, Cultured
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Summary:Cells from the prostate tumor cell line LNCaP have been grown as spheroids. The growth kinetics of the spheroids have been characterized by fitting a Gompertz equation to spheroid growth curves. The proliferation state of cells within spheroids of different diameters was assessed by bromodeoxyuridine staining. Scanning and electron transmission microscopy were performed to determine the ultra-structure of the spheroids. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) secretion was monitored throughout spheroid growth. Consistent with Gompertzian kinetics, the volume of LNCaP spheroids initially increased exponentially and then reached a plateau. The doubling time during the exponential phase was 29 ± 4 h. A core of nonproliferating cells was seen in spheroids with a diameter of 400 µm; at a diameter of 600 µm, a necrotic core had formed. In smaller, 200-µm diameter spheroids, a core of nonproliferating cells was not seen, but proliferating cells were concentrated at the spheroid periphery. Electron microscopy showed that the spheroids were enveloped by an extracellular matrix and that cell adhesion within the spheroids was due in part to desmosomes. PSA secretion by the spheroids could be modeled as originating from a spherical shell whose thickness was independent of overall spheroid diameter. The shell thickness obtained by fitting an appropriate equation to the data was consistent with that determined from the bromodeoxyuridine studies. LNCaP cells exhibit several important features of prostate cancer cells; in vivo , they are androgen responsive, and they express prostatic acid phosphatase, PSA, and prostate-specific membrane antigen. LNCaP spheroids provide a simple but relevant model for the study of drug delivery and response in prostate cancer.
ISSN:1078-0432
1557-3265