Lithium inhibits proliferation of human esophageal cancer cell line Eca-109 by inducing a G2/M cell cycle arrest.

Aim: To investigate the effect of lithium on proliferation of esophageal cancer (EC) cells and its preliminary mechanisms.

Methods: Eca-109 cells were treated with lithium chloride, a highly selective inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK-3beta), at different concentrations (2-30 mmol/L) and time points (0, 2, 4, 6 and 24 h). Cell proliferative ability was evaluated by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and cell cycle distribution was examined by flow cytometry.