An in vitro and in vivo screening system for new hypoxic cell radiosensitizers using EMT6 cells

An experimental tumor system consisting of single cells, spheroids, and solid tumors was developed using the EMT6/KU cell-line for evaluation of new hypoxic cell sensitizers. This paper describes the radiation dose-survival curves of the system and the effects of four sensitizers [misonidazole, Ro 03-8799, KB-11 (a sulfonyltetrazole derivative), and DNIE (a dinitroimidazole derivative)] in this system. Dose-survival curves of the spheroids varied significantly depending on the irradiation conditions, but it was found that the spheroids could model the solid tumors when they were irradiated in flat-bottomed flasks. These spheroids and solid tumors contained substantial fractions of hypoxic cells, and hence were suitable for testing hypoxic cell sensitizers. Misonidazole at a concentration of 1 mM or 1 mmol/kg showed a constant enhancement ratio (ER) of 1.55 in all of the systems. The ERs of the other three compounds for single cells, spheroids, and solid tumors were 2.1, 1.9, and 1.65, respectively, for Ro 03-8799 (1 mM or 1 mmol/kg); 2.6, 1.6, and 1.0, respectively, for KB-11 (0.5mM or 0.5 mmol/kg); 1.8, 1.2, and 1.1, respectively, for DNIE (0.5mM or 0.5 mmol/kg). These results indicated that the ER for spheroids is closer to the ER for solid tumors than is the ER for single cells in most cases. It was also suggested that an efficient sensitizer in vivo shows little or no difference between its ER for single cells and that for spheroids.