Effects of tachyplesin on the morphology and ultrastructure of human gastric carcinoma cell line BGC-823.

AIM:To investigate the morphological and ultrastructural changes in the human gastric carcinoma cell line BGC-823 after being treated with tachyplesin.METHODS:Tachyplesin was isolated from acid extracts of Chinese horseshoe crab (Tachypleus tridentatus) hemocytes. BGC-823 cells and the cells treated with 2.0mg/L tachyplesin were examined respectively under light microscope, scanning and transmission electron microscope.RESULTS: BGC-823 cells had undergone the restorational alteration in morphology and ultrastructure after tachyplesin treatment. The changes were as follows: the shape of cells was unanimous, the volume enlarged and cells turned to be flat and spread, the nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio lessened and nuclear shape became rather regular, the number of nucleolus reduced and its volume lessened,heter-chromatin decreased while euchromatin increased in nucleus. In the cytoplasm, mitochondria grew in number with consistent structure relatively, Golgi complex turned to be typical and well-developed,rough endoplasmic reticulum increased and polyribosome decreased. The microvilli at cellular surface were rare and the filopodia reduced while lamellipodia increased at the cell edge.CONCLUSION:Tachyplesin could alter the malignant morphological and ultrastructural charact-eristics of human gastric carcinoma cells effectively and have a certain inducing differen-tiation effect on human gastric carcinoma cells.