Hyperthermia and polyamine biosynthesis: decreased ornithine decarboxylase induction in skin and kidney after heat shock

Recent advances of thermally responsive nanogels for cancer therapy

Thermally responsive nanogel drug delivery systems (TRNDDS) have been widely investigated as a new strategy for active targeting tumor therapy, as these can accumulate on the tumor site and/or release the payload at the desired site by structure changes rapidly once stimulated by temperature changes. In this review, we discuss the evolution of TRNDDS and future perspectives for antitumor drug and gene delivery. With further understanding of the specificity of tumor site at the cellular and molecular level, in parallel with the development of nanomaterial design and preparation, TRNDDS show great potential for tumor targeting therapy.

Modest increase in temperature affects ODC activity in L929 cells: Low-level radiofrequency radiation does not

The effects of low-level radiofrequency (RF) radiation and elevated temperature on ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity were investigated in murine L929 fibroblasts. The cells were exposed at 900 MHz either to a pulse-modulated (pulse frequency 217 Hz; GSM-type modulation) or a continuous wave signal at specific absorption rate (SAR) levels of 0.2 W kg(-1) (0.1-0.3 W kg(-1)) and 0.4 W kg(-1) (0.3-0.5 W kg(-1)) for 2, 8, or 24 h. RF radiation did not affect cellular ODC activity. However, a slight increase in temperature (0.8-0.9 degrees C) in the exposure system lead to decreased ODC activity in cell cultures. This was verified by tests in which cells were exposed to different temperatures in incubators. The results show that ODC activity is sensitive to small temperature differences in cell cultures. Hence, a precise temperature control in cellular ODC activity studies is needed.

Synergistic effect of irradiation and hyperthermia on established cell lines derived from maxillary carcinoma. Report I

Cultured tumor cells of an established cell line derived from cancer of the head and neck (maxillary and lingual cancer) were irradiated with X-rays (5 or 10 Gy). This treatment inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-dependent way. Cell cycle analysis showed that the ratio of cells in the S phase to the population of viable cells was higher than that in a non-irradiated control group. Thus, the S phase was prolonged by exposure to X-rays. Cell proliferation was also inhibited by 1 h of heat treatment at 43 degrees C. However, movement through the cell cycle was slowed down overall and no cell aggregation in any phase of the cell cycle was found. Proliferation of not only radioresistant but also radiosensitive cells was inhibited by this treatment. Hyperthermia at 43 degrees C for 1 h did not affect cell proliferation, nor did it influence the pattern of cell cycle distribution. However, it caused a decrease in intracellular polyamine amount. The combination of irradiation and hyperthermia caused a stronger inhibition than either treatment alone. The synergistic effect of the two treatments probably arose from the S-phase cells being heat-labile although radioresistant.

Synergistic effects of irradiation and hyperthermia on established cell lines derived from maxillary carcinoma. Report II

We studied in vitro the capability of radiation, hyperthermia, and their combination to inhibit growth of cell strains isolated from maxillary carcinoma and their radiation tolerant strains. Synergic effects of the combination were studied by investigating effects of hyperthermia and radiation on cell cycles with BrdU pulse labelling to establish optimal conditions for the combination. Growth of cell strains from maxillary carcinoma was remarkably inhibited by thermal treatment because of retarded cellular cycles. Cells at the S-phase were so sensitive to heat that their intake of BrdU was debilitated. Radiation increased the proportion of cells at the S-phase that poorly synthesized DNA. When combining radiation with hyperthermia, the heat killed cells at the S-phase, which was prolonged by radiation, and survivors showed retarded cellular cycles; that is, synergism was found.

Control by hyperthermia of ornithine decarboxylase in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells

The effect of hyperthermia on the activity and the messenger RNA levels of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), which has a rapid rate of turnover in cultured cells, was studied in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. When the cells were incubated at 42 degrees C, elevation of ODC activity by a change of the medium was prevented. Total RNA was isolated from cells treated at 37 degrees C or 42 degrees C, and the relative abundance of the ODC mRNA was measured by Northern blot analysis. These levels in heat-treated cells were comparable to those in control cells. Inhibition by hyperthermia was reversible. The recovery was suppressed by cycloheximide but not by actinomycin D. In hyperthermic-treated cells, the biological half-life of ODC was 14 min, which was the same time as for cells cultured at 37 degrees C. These results suggest that hyperthermic treatment of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells suppressed ODC induction during translation, not during transcription or after translation.

The effect of hyperthermia on ornithine decarboxylase activity in different rat tissues

Hyperthermia produced a decrease of ornithine decarboxylase activity in different tissues of adult rats. The fall in ornithine decarboxylase was dependent on time of exposure and temperature. The decay of ornithine decarboxylase activity in liver, brain, kidney, heart, spleen and testes was rather similar. The t1/2 for liver ornithine decarboxylase determined by the hyperthermic treatment (40 degrees ambient temperature) was 20 min. Ornithine decarboxylase activity was recovered in all tissues exposed to the hyperthermic shock after a period of 4 hours, although the degree of recovery was dependent on the type of tissue. The effect that hyperthermia produces on ornithine decarboxylase activity in rats could be related to an inhibition in the synthesis of active enzyme rather than to a specific degradation or inactivation of ornithine decarboxylase molecule.

Effect of hyperthermia on spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase activity in Ehrlich ascites cells

When Ehrlich ascites tumor cells were incubated at 42 degrees C, the activity of spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase, a rate-limiting enzyme of polyamine biodegradation, decreased to 20% of the control level within 1 hr. Protein synthesis, judged from the incorporation of [3H]leucine into the acid-insoluble fraction, was less affected by heat exposure. The decrease in the enzyme activity caused by heat treatment could be reversed by switching the incubation temperature back to 37 degrees C. The reversion of enzyme activity was suppressed by cycloheximide but not by actinomycin D.

Blood changes in Bufo cognatus following acute heat stress

1. Various blood constituents were measured in an attempt to identify the effects of exposure of Great Plains toads to the critical thermal maximum (CTmax) and determine the time course of the onset of and recovery from these effects. 2. Tests for generalized tissue damage including serum glutamic-oxalacetic and glutamic-pyruvic transaminases (SGOT, SGPT), total protein and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were unaffected by acute thermal stress. 3. Hematocrit, erythrocyte number, mean cell volume and hemoglobin concentration were also unchanged. 4. Blood glucose, lactic acid and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) levels all increased significantly. 5. Blood pH, PO2 and [HCO3-] also increased with acute heat stress while PCO2 decreased. 6. Long-term exposure to temperatures near the CTmax may cause severe tissue damage. Acute thermal stress does not appear to cause damage other than the short-term, reversible effects of strong physical exercise.