Effect of halothane on intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in melanoma cells

There have only been a few reports relating to the effect of inhalational anesthetics on the tumor cell morphology in cancer patients undergoing surgery. We hypothesized that some anesthetic agents might influence the spread of unresectable cancer cells and might additionally worsen the condition of the patient due to depressed host immune surveillance. We therefore evaluated the influence of halothane on tumor cell adhesion, which is closely linked to tumor cell metastasis. Human melanoma cells from SK-MEL-37 cell-line were exposed to 4% halothane for 3, 6, 12 or 24 hours, respectively. Furthermore, after 24 hours halothane exposure, they were incubated in a 5% CO2 atmosphere for 12 or 24 hours. The cells were then analyzed using a fluorescence flowcytometer and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression in SK-MEL-37 cells was quantified as the intensity of fluorescence of ICAM-1 expressed in 10,000 cells. ICAM-1 expression in cells exposed to halothane for 3, 6, 12 or 24 hours was lower than that of non-exposed cells and returned to control level after further incubation in 5% CO2 atmosphere for either 12 or 24 hours. We conclude that halothane might affect the progression of tumor cell metastasis in vitro.