Effects of lanthanum chloride on proliferation and migration of human cervical cancer cell line HeLa cells

Abstract To investigate the effects of lanthanum chloride on proliferation and migration activity of human cervical cancer cells in vitro which may be a new anti-cervical cancer drug and provide experimental data for cervical cancer treatment. HeLa cells cultured in vitro were divided into two groups: experimental group and control group. In experimental group, the cells were respectively treated with lanthanum chloride at different concentrations, 5, 50 and 100 µmol/L, while the cells in the control group were not treated with lanthanum chloride. The cell growth was observed by inverted microscope and the morphology changes of the cells were observed by the laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM). Proliferation of HeLa cells in the two groups was detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) test; apoptosis rate was analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM). Cell migration test was applied to observe the effect of lanthanum chloride on migration. Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR was employed to evaluate the effects of lanthanum chloride on proliferation gene (cyclinD1), anti-apoptosis gene (zinc finger protein A20) and migration-related gene (matrix metalloproteinase 9, MMP-9). The status of cell growth was observed under the inverted microscope: with the increased of the lanthanum chloride concentrations, the cell density of reduced, the granule in cytoplasm increased, color intensifying and intercellular space enlarged; some cells became rounding and dead, floating in the culture media; the exfoliated cells increased gradually in the experimental groups. While In the control group, the cells grew adherently, with clear morphology and plump cytoplasm, and adjacent cell grew in lamellar. Observed with LSCM: the nuclear chromatin condensated and marginated with the volume of nuclear decreased in experimental groups. With the increase of the lanthanum chloride concentrations, nuclei in the experimental groups became pyknotic and then underwent karyorrhexis. However, the nuclear of the cells in control group were inact. The growth inhibition rates of lanthanum chloride groups (5, 50, 100 µmol/L) were 24%, 51% and 78%, respectively, in which each was significantly higher than that of the control group (P