UV light killing efficacy of fluorescent protein‐expressing cancer cells in vitro and in vivo

Abstract

We investigated the cell-killing efficacy of UV light on cancer cells expressing GFP in the nucleus and RFP in the cytoplasm (dual-color cells). After exposure to various doses of UVA, UVB, or UVC, apoptotic and viable cells were quantitated under fluorescence microscopy using dual-color 143B human osteosarcoma cells, HT-1080 human fibrosarcoma cells, Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC), and XPA-1 human pancreatic cancer cells in vitro. UV-induced cancer cell death was wave-length and dose dependent, as well as cell-line dependent. After UVA exposure, most cells were viable even when the UV dose was increased up to 200 J/m(2). With UVB irradiation, cell death was observed with irradiation at 50 J/m(2). For UVC, as little as 25 J/m(2) UVC irradiation killed approximately 70% of the 143B dual-color cells. This dose of UVB or UVA had almost no effect on the cancer cells. UV-induced cancer cell death varied among the cell lines. Cell death began about 4 h after irradiation and continued until 10 h after irradiation. UVC exposure also suppressed cancer cell growth in nude mice in a model of minimal residual cancer (MRC). No apparent side effects of UVC exposure were observed. This study opens up the possibility of UVC treatment for MRC after surgical resection.