Deferoxamine-induced ultrastructural lesions of nucleoli in MCF-7 carcinoma cell line

Abstract

Deferoxamine(DFO), an iron chelator, has been demonstrated to inhibit the growth of a variety of human malignant cell lines. Evidence suggests that DFO exerts its primary effect by chelating ferric iron and inhibiting DNA and RNA synthesis.The effects of DFO on MCF-7 cells have been investigated. The IC50 and IC90 inhibitory concentrations of DFO on MCF-7 cells were 4.8 uM and 9.5 uM, respectively. This inhibition can be reversed by equimolar concentrations of iron and iron-loaded transferrin. Alterations in the ultrastructure of nucleoli of MCF-7 cells exposed to the DFO in the concentrations of 4.8uM and 9.5uM for 24 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours were studied by transmission electron microscopy. The cells were grown in 24 well plates in alpha-MEM supplemented with 10% FCS and incubated at 37°C. They were harvested with trypsin-EDTA, pelleted into Beem capsules and centrifuged. A standard specimen preparation procedure was employed for transmission electron microscopy.