Sodium arsenite ± hyperthermia sensitizes p53-expressing human ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin by modulating platinum-DNA damage responses

Clarisse S. Muenyi, Allan R. Pinhas, Teresa W. Fan, Guy N. Brock, C. William Helm, J. Christopher States

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the leading cause of gynecological cancer death in the United States. Cisplatin is a DNA damaging agent initially effective against EOC but limited by resistance. P53 plays a critical role in cellular response to DNA damage and has been implicated in EOC response to platinum chemotherapy. In this study, we examined the role of p53 status in EOC response to a novel combination of cisplatin, sodium arsenite, and hyperthermia. Human EOC cells were treated with cisplatin ± 20μM sodium arsenite at 37°C or 39°C for 1 h. Sodium arsenite ± hyperthermia sensitized wild-type p53-expressing (A2780, A2780/CP70, OVCA 420, OVCA 429, and OVCA 433) EOC cells to cisplatin. Hyperthermia sensitized p53-null SKOV-3 and p53-mutant (OVCA 432 and OVCAR-3) cells to cisplatin. P53 small interfering RNA (siRNA) transfection abrogated sodium arsenite sensitization effect. XPC, a critical DNA damage recognition protein in global genome repair pathway, was induced by cisplatin only in wild-type p53-expressing cells. Cotreatment with sodium arsenite ± hyperthermia attenuated cisplatin-induced XPC in wild-type p53-expressing cells. XPC siRNA transfection sensitized wild-type p53-expressing cells to cisplatin, suggesting that sodium arsenite ± hyperthermia attenuation of XPC is a mechanism by which wild-type p53-expressing cells are sensitized to cisplatin. Hyperthermia ± sodium arsenite enhanced cellular and DNA accumulation of platinum in wild-type p53-expressing cells. Only hyperthermia enhanced platinum accumulation in p53-null cells. In conclusion, sodium arsenite ± hyperthermia sensitizes wild-type p53-expressing EOC cells to cisplatin by suppressing DNA repair protein XPC and increasing cellular and DNA platinum accumulation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)139-149
Number of pages11
JournalToxicological Sciences
Volume127
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2012

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (R01 ES011314, P30 ES014443) and the National Science Foundation’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPS-0447479).

Keywords

  • Cisplatin
  • Hyperthermia
  • Ovarian cancer
  • P53
  • Sodium arsenite
  • XPC

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Toxicology

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