Ferritin production and desferrioxamine cytotoxicity in human neuroblastoma cell lines

In patients with neuroblastoma, elevated serum ferritin is correlated with adverse outcome. In this investigation, three human neuroblastoma cell lines have been characterised in terms of their levels of both intracellular and secreted ferritin and their response to the iron-chelating agent, desferrioxamine (deferoxamine). The cell lines differed markedly in respect of ferritin production as determined by radioimmunoassay. Intracellular and secreted ferritin concentrations for SH-SY5Y and BE(2)-C cells were several fold higher than that determined for IMR-32 cells. IMR-32 cells were most sensitive to desferrioxamine, BE(2)-C intermediate and SH-SY5Y the most resistant to the drug in terms of the respective ID50 values. Combining the differentiating agent retinoic acid with desferrioxamine did not enhance cytotoxicity in the neuroblastoma cells. The present data suggest that neuroblastoma cells secreting a relatively low levels of ferritin may be most responsive to iron chelating agents.