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Quercetin exerts a preferential cytotoxic effect on active dividing colon carcinoma HT29 and Caco-2 cells

1994; Elsevier BV; Volume: 87; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0304-3835(94)90409-x

1872-7980

Georgine Agullo, Laurence Gamet, Catherine Besson, Christian Demigné, Christian Rémésy,

Cancer, Lipids, and Metabolism

The effect of the naturally occurring flavonol, quercetin, was investigated on cell growth and metabolism of two human carcinoma cell lines, HT29 and Caco-2 cells, both during the exponentially growing phase and after confluence. Our results show clearly that, after a 48-h period of treatment, quercetin (in the range of concentration from 15 μM to 120 μM) exerted a preferential cytotoxic effect on active proliferating cells. This effect was dose dependent and was accompanied by a simultaneous inhibition of lactate release and a dramatic decrease of total cellular ATP content. In contrast, in confluent cells, quercetin failed to affect cell viability or lactate release, but led nevertheless to a depletion of cellular ATP level. In conclusion, the cytotoxicity of quercetin is markedly higher in actively growing cells in comparison with confluent cells.