Growth and characterization of LNCaP prostate cancer cell spheroids Conference Paper


Authors: Ballangrud, Å M.; Yang, W. H.; Dnistrian, A.; Lampen, N. M.; Sgouros, G.
Title: Growth and characterization of LNCaP prostate cancer cell spheroids
Conference Title: 7th Conference on Radioimmunodetection and Radioimmunotherapy of Cancer
Abstract: Cells from the prostate tumor cell line LNCaP have been grown as spheroids. The growth kinetics of the spheroids have been characterized by fitting a Gompertz equation to spheroid growth curves. The proliferation state of cells within spheroids of different diameters was assessed by bromodeoxyuridine staining. Scanning and electron transmission microscopy were performed to determine the ultrastructure of the spheroids. Prostate- specific antigen (PSA) secretion was monitored throughout spheroid growth. Consistent with Gompertzian kinetics, the volume of LNCaP spheroids initially increased exponentially and then reached a plateau. The doubling time during the exponential phase was 29 ± 4 h. A core of nonproliferating cells was seen in spheroids with a diameter of 400 μm; at a diameter of 600 μm, a necrotic core had formed. In smaller, 200-μm diameter spheroids, a core of nonproliferating cells was not seen, but proliferating cells were concentrated at the spheroid periphery. Electron microscopy showed that the spheroids were enveloped by an extracellular matrix and that cell adhesion within the spheroids was due in part to desmosomes. PSA secretion by the spheroids could be modeled as originating from a spherical shell whose thickness was independent of overall spheroid diameter. The shell thickness obtained by fitting an appropriate equation to the data was consistent with that determined from the bromodeoxyuridine studies. LNCaP cells exhibit several important features of prostate cancer cells; in vivo, they are androgen responsive, and they express prostatic acid phosphatase, PSA, and prostate-specific membrane antigen. LNCaP spheroids provide a simple but relevant model for the study of drug delivery and response in prostate cancer.
Keywords: controlled study; human cell; conference paper; cell proliferation; prostate specific antigen; cell division; cell growth; cancer cell culture; tumor cells, cultured; prostate cancer; prostate-specific antigen; prostatic neoplasms; cell adhesion; bromodeoxyuridine; spheroids, cellular; cell ultrastructure; cell kinetics; acid phosphatase prostate isoenzyme; cell volume; desmosome; growth curve; spheroid cell; humans; human; male; priority journal
Journal Title Clinical Cancer Research
Volume: 5
Issue: 10 Suppl.
Conference Dates: 1998 Oct 15-17
Conference Location: Princeton, NJ
ISBN: 1078-0432
Publisher: American Association for Cancer Research  
Date Published: 1999-10-01
Start Page: 3171s
End Page: 3176s
Language: English
PUBMED: 10541360
PROVIDER: scopus
DOI/URL:
Notes: Conference Paper -- Export Date: 16 August 2016 -- Source: Scopus
Citation Impact
MSK Authors
  1. George Sgouros
    146 Sgouros
  2. Nina M Lampen
    11 Lampen
  3. Wei Hong Yang
    19 Yang