Effect of iron on the proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma cells in vitro

Abstract

To investigate the effect of iron on the cell proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma cell, A549 cells were respectively treated with chloride ferric (FeCl3) and/or deferoxamine (DFO) at different concentrations, the viable cell number and cell viability were analyzed in each group at 6, 12, 24 and 48 h, respectively. After A549 cells were respectively treated with FeCl3 at different concentrations, the viable cell number in each FeCl3 subgroup gradually increased with the prolongation of culture time, likewise that in the control group. However, all the numbers of the FeCl3 subgroup were higher than those in the control group (except for the number in 150 μmol/L subgroup at 24 h), exhibiting statistically significant differences (P<0.05). Among different FeCl3 subgroups, the viable cell number in 100 μmol/L subgroup was the highest at any detected time point (P<0.05). And cell viability of FeCl3 subgroups were all higher than those of the control group during culture time. On the contrary, after A549 cell being treated with DFO at different concentrations, the viable number and cell vitality in each subgroup were lower than those in the control group, and all the differences were of statistical significance (P<0.05). In the control group, viable number increased with the extension of culture time with cell viability keeping over 95% while those in DFO subgroups decreased. And comparisons among different DFO subgroups showed that the higher the concentration, the more apparent the decline becomes. In DFO subgroups, A549 cells under light microscope looked smaller and viable numbers were less compared with those in the control group, and such inhibitory effect became even more apparent in subgroups with high concentrations of DFO. Our finding suggests that FeCl3 can promote the growth of A549 cells while DFO can exert an anti-proliferative effect on A549 cells. Key words: Chloride ferric, A549 cells, proliferation, deferoxamine.