Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors affect growth regulation of human mesothelioma cells: New therapeutic strategies

Abstract

3099 Background: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an uncommon locally invasive and rapidly fatal malignancy whose incidence is still increasing in the western world. It is linked to asbestos exposure and genetic susceptibility. Despite the best and most aggressive, often integrated, standard therapeutic approaches, overall survival remains very poor. The actual failure points out clearly the need of novel therapy development for MPM. In this setting one of the promising paths of experimentation is artificial induction of apoptosis. This study presents data suggesting that both human mesothelioma (cell lines and human mesothelioma biopsies) and human normal mesothelial cells express receptors for acetylcholine and that stimulation of these receptors by nicotine prompted cell growth via activation of nicotinic cholinergic receptors. Methods and Results: our data demonstrate that: (1) human mesothelioma cells and human biopsies of mesothelioma as well as of normal pleural mesothelial cells express fun...