Cytokine profile of breast cell lines after different radiation doses

Abstract

Purpose: Ionizing radiation (IR) treatment activates inflammatory processes causing the release of a great amount of molecules able to affect the cell survival. The aim of this study was to analyze the cytokine signature of conditioned medium produced by non-tumorigenic mammary epithelial cell line MCF10A, as well as MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines, after single high doses of IR in order to understand their role in high radiation response.

Materials and methods: We performed a cytokine profile of irradiated conditioned media of MCF10A, MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines treated with 9 or 23 Gy, by Luminex and ELISA analyses.

Results: Overall, our results show that both 9 Gy and 23 Gy of IR induce the release within the first 72 h of cytokines and growth factors potentially able to influence the tumor outcome, with a dose-independent and cell-line dependent signature. Moreover, our results show that the cell-senescence phenomenon does not correlate with the amount of ‘senescence-associated secretory phenotype’ (SASP) molecules released in media. Thus, additional mechanisms are probably involved in this process.

Conclusions: These data open the possibility to evaluate cytokine profile as useful marker in modulating the personalized radiotherapy in breast cancer care.

Keywords:

• Ionizing radiation
• breast cancer
• cytokines
• inflammation

Acknowledgments

We thank Dott. Melchiorre Cervello for his helpful suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

All authors participated in the conception, design, interpretation, and elaboration of the findings of the study, as well as in drafting and revising the final version. In particular, V.B. designed the study. G.R. studied the irradiation setup, simulations and dose distribution of radiation treatments. G.R., V.B. and L.M. performed IR cell treatments. L.M. maintained cell cultures and carried out clonogenic survival assay, morphological evaluation and irradiated conditioned media collection. V.B. performed cytokine, chemokine and growth factor analysis and helped by F.M.M. performed ELISA tests. V.B. wrote the article and helped by L.M., G.I.F. and F.P.C., conducted data interpretation. M.C. performed senescence assays. D.L. was involved in the interpretation of the findings, drafting and revising of the manuscript final version. M.C.G. participated in the elaboration of the findings of the study, financial support, drafting and revising the final version. All authors read and approved the final content of the manuscript. V.B. was a PhD student of the Pathobiology PhD course at Palermo University, Italy, and this work was submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for her PhD degree.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by FIRB/MERIT project (RBNE089KHH) and by FFR 2012 grant (Multi-parametric analysis of aging skin markers in subjects of different age) from the University of Palermo, Italy.