Paradoxical proliferative potential of iron (II) sulphate on cancer cells after the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay

  • Authors:
    • Stanton Hon Lung Kok
    • Roberto Gambari
    • Chung Hin Chui
    • Fung Yi Lau
    • Gregory Yin Ming Cheng
    • Paul Bo San Lai
    • Wing Sze Lam
    • Albert Sun Chi Chan
    • Chor Hing Cheng
    • Ivy Tuang Ngo Teo
    • Michael Wing Yiu Yu
    • Johnny Cheuk On Tang
    • Filly Cheung
    • Raymond Siu Ming Wong
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: June 1, 2007     https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.19.6.971
  • Pages: 971-975
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Abstract

There are several scientific approaches for the determination of cellular growth influences of known or novel substances under in vitro conditions, among which colourimetric absorption measurement is considered to be one of the convenient methods. [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium] (MTS) assay is one of the commonly used colourimetric absorption assays based on the ability of dehydrogenase from viable cells to produce the brown soluble formazan detectable at 490 nm. Here we have tested the possible growth influence of iron (II) sulphate on two human cancer cell lines, the K562 chronic myelogenous leukaemia and T47D breast carcinoma cells, based on the MTS assay. We found that iron (II) sulphate possessed an inhibitory effect when added at 16- to 125-µM concentrations, but iron (II) sulphate became growth stimulatory when its concentration was further increased to 1000 µM. In addition, a dose-dependent increase in absorbance at the same wavelength was observed when we repeated the experiments without the addition of MTS and phenazine methosulfate. When we further repeated the cell growth determinations using adenosine triphosphate content assay for K562 and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay for T47D, iron (II) sulphate showed a consistent dose-dependent growth inhibitory effect. Morphological investigation after methylene blue staining clearly demonstrated that iron (II) sulphate, at a concentration of 1000 µM, is cytotoxic to T47D cells. Interestingly, a consistent increment for the absorbance at 490 nm was further observed with increased iron (II) sulphate concentration either in the presence or absence of MTS even in a cell-free environment. Thus we conclude that iron (II) sulphate is actually growth inhibitory and even cytotoxic at high concentrations towards the K562 and T47D cancer cells and the paradoxical proliferative activity of iron (II) sulphate on these two cancer cell lines using the MTS assay was solely due to the oxidation of initial pale green iron (II) to brownish iron (III) during incubation in the aqueous condition.

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June 2007
Volume 19 Issue 6

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Online ISSN:1791-244X

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Spandidos Publications style
Kok SH, Gambari R, Chui CH, Lau FY, Cheng GY, Lai PB, Lam WS, Chan AS, Cheng CH, Teo IT, Teo IT, et al: Paradoxical proliferative potential of iron (II) sulphate on cancer cells after the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay. Int J Mol Med 19: 971-975, 2007
APA
Kok, S.H., Gambari, R., Chui, C.H., Lau, F.Y., Cheng, G.Y., Lai, P.B. ... Wong, R.S. (2007). Paradoxical proliferative potential of iron (II) sulphate on cancer cells after the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay. International Journal of Molecular Medicine, 19, 971-975. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.19.6.971
MLA
Kok, S. H., Gambari, R., Chui, C. H., Lau, F. Y., Cheng, G. Y., Lai, P. B., Lam, W. S., Chan, A. S., Cheng, C. H., Teo, I. T., Yu, M. W., Tang, J. C., Cheung, F., Wong, R. S."Paradoxical proliferative potential of iron (II) sulphate on cancer cells after the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 19.6 (2007): 971-975.
Chicago
Kok, S. H., Gambari, R., Chui, C. H., Lau, F. Y., Cheng, G. Y., Lai, P. B., Lam, W. S., Chan, A. S., Cheng, C. H., Teo, I. T., Yu, M. W., Tang, J. C., Cheung, F., Wong, R. S."Paradoxical proliferative potential of iron (II) sulphate on cancer cells after the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 19, no. 6 (2007): 971-975. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.19.6.971