Background & objective: It is clear from works already reported that depleted uranium (DU) affect human health. However, the late effect, especially the carcinogenesis, was not clearly understood. This study was designed to investigate the malignant transformation of human bronchial epithelial cell induced by insoluble DU and lung cancer related gene expression pattern, through imitating the condition that human absorbs depleted uranium aerosol.
Methods: Adenovirus-12/SV40 virus immortalized human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) were reacted with insoluble DU oxide (dUO2); the characteristics of malignant transformation of cells were identified through observing the multiplication time of different generation cells, serum resistance, colony formation rate of semi-solid agar, and tumorigenesis in nude mice. Gene expression pattern of transferred BEAS-2B cell induced by DU was determined using 213 lung cancer related gene arrays.
Results: The multiplication time of BEAS-2B cell treated with DU was obviously decreased and the serum reistance was significantly increased in 5th generation; the anchorage independent growth (semi-solid agar colony formation) was appeared in 10th generation cell. The 15th generation cell formed tumor in nude mice. DMSO showed overt protection effect on malignant transformation of BEAS-2B cell. The analyzing results of 213 lung cancer related gene arrays showed that the expression level changed in more than 70 genes of transferred cells, including the overt decrease of level of gene expression in more than 10 genes.
Conclusion: DU has carcinogenesis in vitro.