TY - JOUR
T1 - Cholesterol metabolism in cancer cells in monolayer culture. III. Low‐density lipoprotein metabolism
AU - Gal, D.
AU - MacDonald, P. C.
AU - Porter, J. C.
AU - Simpson, E. R.
PY - 1981/9/15
Y1 - 1981/9/15
N2 - The metabolism of low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) was studied in neoplastic and non‐neoplastic cells of human gynecological origin, in monolayer cultures. The neoplastic cells were derived from epidermoid vaginal carcinoma, epidermoid cervical carcinoma and endometrial adenocarcinoma, in various degrees of differentiation. The non‐neoplastic cells were cervical fibroblasts and epithelial cells from proliferative endometrial glands. Both neoplastic and non‐neoplastic cells assimilated and degraded LDL in a similar fashion to other human cells (e.g. skin fibroblasts). However, the neoplastic cells metabolized LDL at a higher rate than the non‐neoplastic cells (e.g. epidermoid cervical cancer cells metabolized LDL at a 20 times higher rate than did cervical fibroblasts). Such a high rate of LDL metabolism probably enables continuously replicating cancer cells to obtain the large amounts of cholesterol required for cell membrane synthesis. If a high rate of LDL metabolism proves to be a general property of cancer cells, such a property could prove useful for tumor chemotherapy, providing cytotoxic chemicals could be incorporated within the LDL molecule.
AB - The metabolism of low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) was studied in neoplastic and non‐neoplastic cells of human gynecological origin, in monolayer cultures. The neoplastic cells were derived from epidermoid vaginal carcinoma, epidermoid cervical carcinoma and endometrial adenocarcinoma, in various degrees of differentiation. The non‐neoplastic cells were cervical fibroblasts and epithelial cells from proliferative endometrial glands. Both neoplastic and non‐neoplastic cells assimilated and degraded LDL in a similar fashion to other human cells (e.g. skin fibroblasts). However, the neoplastic cells metabolized LDL at a higher rate than the non‐neoplastic cells (e.g. epidermoid cervical cancer cells metabolized LDL at a 20 times higher rate than did cervical fibroblasts). Such a high rate of LDL metabolism probably enables continuously replicating cancer cells to obtain the large amounts of cholesterol required for cell membrane synthesis. If a high rate of LDL metabolism proves to be a general property of cancer cells, such a property could prove useful for tumor chemotherapy, providing cytotoxic chemicals could be incorporated within the LDL molecule.
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U2 - 10.1002/ijc.2910280310
DO - 10.1002/ijc.2910280310
M3 - Article
C2 - 7198619
AN - SCOPUS:0019454263
SN - 0020-7136
VL - 28
SP - 315
EP - 319
JO - International Journal of Cancer
JF - International Journal of Cancer
IS - 3
ER -