CATECHOLAMINES INCREASE IN VITRO PROLIFERATION OF MURINE B16F10 MELANOMA CELLS

Context. Melanoma is the most aggressive skin cancer, with significant morbidity and mortality, and one factor that may influence the course of disease is stress. Objective. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of corticosterone, norepinephrine, epinephrine on murine B16F10 melanoma cells in vitro proliferation. Methods. B16F10 melanoma cells were treated with different concentrations of tested hormones. The proliferative capacity of melanoma cells was quantified by MTS assay and the cell viability was quantified as membrane integrity evaluation measured by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. Results. B16F10 cells treated with corticosterone showed no significant changes. In contrast, norepinephrine exposure stimulated the cell proliferation (P = 0.0003). Treatment with 1 mu M norepinephrine induced the highest increase in cell proliferation (OD 492 = 0.27 +/- 0.02) statistically significant to both control (OD 492 = 0.17 +/- 0.01; p = 0.0003), 10 nM norepinephrine (OD 492 = 0.16 +/- 0.00; p = 0.0004) and 100 nM norepinephrine (OD 492 = 0.19 +/- 0.01; p = 0.002). Likewise, treatment with epinephrine increased cell proliferation (p = 0.0004). Exposure to 5 mu m epinephrine induced a stimulation of cell proliferation (OD 492 = 0.28 +/- 0.02) significantly higher compared to controls (OD 492 = 0.17 +/- 0.01; p = 0.0004), 50 nM epinephrine (OD 492 = 0.17 +/- 0.00; p = 0.001) and 500 nM epinephrine (OD 492 = 0.173 +/- 6.00; p = 0.001). Conclusions. Our results may open new perspectives concerning the link between stress hormones and melanoma, emphasizing a direct stimulating in vitro effect induced by catecholamines on melanoma B16F10 cells proliferation.