Differential effects of sevoflurane on the metastatic potential and chemosensitivity of non-small-cell lung adenocarcinoma and renal cell carcinoma in vitro

Abstract Background Increasing evidence suggests that perioperative factors including anaesthetics influence cancer recurrence and metastasis after surgery. This study investigated the influence of sevoflurane on the response of lung and renal cancer cells to cisplatin, with focus on transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) and osteopontin (OPN) that are both closely associated with cancer tumorigenesis and metastasis. Methods Non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma (A549) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC4) cells were exposed to 3.6% sevoflurane for two hrs. Malignant potential represented by cell viability, migration, chemosensitivity to cisplatin was evaluated. Expression of OPN, TGF-β1, TGF-β receptor type II (TGF-βRII) and the canonical downstream effector Smad3 was assessed. SiRNA knockdown of TGF-β1 and OPN and chemical inhibition of TGF-βRI/II was performed. Results Sevoflurane reduced cell viability (0.394) versus control (0.459) (P Conclusions Sevoflurane promotes the metastatic potential of renal carcinoma, but not of non-small cell lung cancer. This may be associated with its differential effect on cellular signalling including TGF-β. Our findings indicate that sevoflurane may have different effects on the metastatic potential and chemosensitivity of different tumour types.