Prevention of geranylgeranoic acid-induced apoptosis by phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase gene.

Micromolar concentrations (0.5 approximately 5 microM) of all-trans geranylgeranoic acid (GGA) induced cell death in a guinea pig cell line, 104C1, whereas under the same conditions GGA was unable to kill 104C1/O4C, a clone established from 104C1 cells by transfection of them with the human phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PHGPx) gene. GGA (5 microM) induced a loss of the mitochondrial inner membrane potential (DeltaPsim) in 104C1 cells in 2 h, and their apoptotic cell death became evident in 6 h.

Effect of transfection with human interferon-beta gene entrapped in cationic multilamellar liposomes in combination with 5-fluorouracil on the growth of human esophageal cancer cells in vitro.

When human esophageal cancer cells were transfected with the human interferon-beta (hIFN-beta) gene entrapped in cationic multilamellar liposomes, the growth of all cancer cells tested was suppressed in a dose-dependent manner. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the hIFN-beta gene entrapped in the liposomes ranged from 16 to 176 ng plasmid DNA/ml culture medium. Among the 10 cell lines examined, NUEC3, NUEC4, TE-3 and WSSC cell lines were highly susceptible to transfection with this gene entrapped in the liposomes.