Effects of inhalation anesthetics halothane, sevoflurane, and isoflurane on human cell lines

Cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects of halothane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane in anesthetic doses on human colon carcinoma (Caco-2), larynx carcinoma (HEp-2), pancreatic carcinoma cells (MIA PaCa-2), poorly differentiated cells from lymph node metastasis of colon carcinoma (SW-620), and normal fibroblasts were investigated. Cells were exposed to anesthetic gas mixture consisting of O2: N2O (35:60 vol.%), halothane (1.5 vol.%) or isoflurane (2.0 vol.%) or sevoflurane (3.0 vol.%), and CO2 (5 vol.%), for 2, 4, and 6 h. Cytotoxicity of anesthetics was analyzed by validated tetrazolium dye assay MTT test. All anesthetics expressed cytotoxic effects on treated tumor cells in time and cell line dependent manner. Growth suppression in cells exposed to halothane was enhanced in HEp-2 (to 67.7%), Caco-2 (to 76.3%), and SW620 cells (to 80.9%), and was minimal in normal fibroblasts (to 89.4%). Antiproliferative activity of halothane was measured via radioactive precursors incorporation assay. In Caco-2 cells treated by halothane, decrease in DNA synthesis (52.4%, p = 0.001), RNA synthesis (39.2%, p < 0.001), and protein synthesis (19.2%, p = 0.004) was observed. In HEp-2 cells, DNA and RNA syntheses were decreased to 72.5% and 79.9%, whereas protein synthesis was 14.0% of control (p < 0.001). In SW620 cells, protein synthesis after 4 h was 24.4% (p = 0.007). A DNA fragmentation was observed in Caco-2 and MIA PaCa-2 cells. Exposition of phosphatidylserine on outer lipid bilayer plasma membrane of tumor cell treated by halothane proved apoptosis as mode of cell death.