Somatostatin analogs affect proliferation of human thyroid carcinoma cell lines in vitro

Antiproliferative effects of somatostatin (SRIH) analogs were investigated in human thyroid carcinoma cell lines. Membrane preparations from six human thyroid cell lines, including follicular (RO 87-M-1 and RO 82-W-1), papillary (NPA87), and anaplastic (RO 90-D-1) carcinomas, a follicular adenoma, as well as benign and malignant human thyroid tissues, contained high affinity SRIH-binding sites. Ligand-binding studies ([125I]Tyr11-SRIH) demonstrated mean dissociation constants ranging from 114-224 pmol/L, and 20-154 fmol/mg membrane protein mean receptor sites, in cell lines. Four cell lines were grown for 3 days in monolayers with SRIH analogs (octreotide or MK0678) at concentrations from 0.05-100 nmol/L in serum-free medium to assess changes in cell numbers. At the highest dose, MK0678 produced dose-dependent inhibition of growth in RO 87-M-1 and NPA87, each to about 70% of that in control cells. Octreotide produced dose-dependent stimulation of growth in RO 87-M-1 cells, but caused growth inhibition in NPA87 cells, with loss of effect at the highest dose. RO 82-W-1 did not respond to MK0678, yet caused biphasic inhibition with octreotide (75% and 45% of control cell numbers at 0.05 and 100 nmol/L doses, respectively). Anaplastic cells, RO 90-D-1, did not respond to either analog despite similar ligand binding. Addition of epidermal growth factor (100 micrograms/L) or TSH (200 mU/L) increased the sensitivity of RO 87-M-1 cells to growth inhibition by the lowest dose of MK0678, producing biphasic dose-response curves. In conclusion, the present data demonstrate specific SRIH binding to membranes of thyroid carcinoma cells and tissues as well as discordant growth effects of different SRIH analogs on the same cell lines. This may be a result of differential stimulation and regulation of distinct SRIH receptor subtypes.