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Z. Naturforsch. 69c, 325 – 334 (2014)
doi:10.5560/ZNC.2013-0148
In vitro Antiproliferative Effect of Helix aspersa Hemocyanin on Multiple Malignant Cell Lines
Olga Antonova1, Pavlina Dolashka2,*, Draga Toncheva1, Hans-Georg Rammensee3, Matthias Floetenmeyer4, and Stefan Stevanovic3
1 Department of Medical Genetics, Medical University-Sofia, 2 Zdrave St., Sofia 1431, Bulgaria
2 Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 9 G. Bonchev St., Sofia 1113, Bulgaria. Fax: +359 8700225. E-mail: pda54@abv.bg or dolashka@orgchm.bas.bg
3 Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 15, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
4 Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Spemannstraße 35, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
*Author for correspondence and reprint requests
Received September 7, 2013 / May 6, 2014 / published online August 6, 2014
As an extension of our studies on the antitumour properties of various hemocyanins, we sought to compare the antiproliferative effects of hemocyanins derived from two snail species: Helix lucorum (HlH) and Helix aspersa (HaH). This is the first report on the antitumour effects of HaH. We hypothesized that HaH has antitumour effects not only against bladder cancer, as previously shown with other hemocyanins, but also on other cancer cell lines. The antiproliferative properties of the mentioned hemocyanins were investigated in vitro on the following human cell lines: bladder cancer (CAL-29 and T-24), ovarian cancer (FraWü), acute monocytic leukemia (THP-1), prostate cancer (DU-145), glioma cancer (LN-18), and Burkitt's lymphoma (Daudi). The properties of HaH were compared to those of HlH, keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), and two positive controls (doxorubicin and mitomycin C).

An antiproliferative effect of the total molecule and one structural subunit of HaH, βc-HaH, against both bladder cancer cell lines, T-24 and CAL-29, was observed. The cytotoxic effect of HaH ranged between 15 % and 60 % among the other tested cell lines. The endotoxin contamination did not affect the efficacy of HaH. Therefore, HlH and HaH could be appropriate for more detailed investigations of their use as antitumour agents for the studied cancers.

Key words: Hemocyanin, Bladder Cancer, Cell Line, Therapy
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