Live cell impedance measurements and time lapse microscopy observations for ionizing radiation stimulated cellular adhesion, proliferation, and migration.

BACKGROUND: In over 60 % of diagnosed cancers, patients are treatments with different protocols of radiotherapy, what resulted with possible acute whole body response to toxic radiation. OBJECTIVE: Effectiveness of used therapy depends on relation with sensitiveness/resistance of irradiated cancer cells. Cellular mechanisms of cancer protection, such as activation of DNA damage and repair pathway, antioxidants production and oxidative stress suppression during treatments are not desirable. METHOD: In cancers invasive and metastatic phenotype could be enhanced via stimulation of proliferation rate, decreased adhesion with simultaneous increase of motility and migration potential. For such reasons, the IR stimulated proliferation; migration with lowered adhesiveness of cancer Me45 and normal fibroblasts NHDF were studied. Using impedance measurements technique for live cells, the adhesion of cancer and normal cells after IR exposition was assessed. Additionally proliferation and migration potential, based on standard Wound Healing assay were evaluated by timelapse microscopic observations. RESULTS: We have found simulative IR dose-ranges (0.2 - 2 Gy) for Me45 and NHDF cells, with higher proliferation and adhesion rates. On the other hand, also lethal impact of IR (10 - 12 Gy) on both cell lines was indicated. CONCLUSION: Over-confluence cells populations, characterized with high crowd and contact inhibition could modulate invasiveness of individual cells and convert them, to display migration phenotype and advance motility, especially after radiotherapy treatments.