The effect of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) on the growth of anaplastic carcinoma colonies in rat lungs after intravenous tumor cell injection was studied. From the first day after tumor cell injection, the rats were exposed to HBO for 16-21 days, 90 min per day. Oxygen at a pressure of 300 kPa (3·0 ATA) significantly decreased the number of lung tumor colonies and increased the survival of tumor-bearing rats, whereas the application of oxygen at a pressure of 100 kPa had no effect. An oxygen-nitrogen normoxic mixture balanced with nitrogen to 300 kPa (3·0 ATA) did not affect the number of colonies, suggesting that the effect was specific for oxygen and not for the increased pressure itself. A 6-day application of oxygen at a 300 kPa pressure suppressed the growth of lung tumor colonies when applied on days 1–6 and 7–12 after intravenous tumor cell injection, but had no effect when applied on days 13–18. In contrast to dramatic effects of HBO on the development of artificial lung metastases, the oxygen at the same 300 kPa pressure had no effect on the growth of tumor cells injected in the hind foot. Thus it appears that the suppression of lung tumor colonies by HBO was due to local oxygen effects in the lungs.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Balin, A. K., Fisher, A. J., and Carter, D. M., 1984, Oxygen modulates growth of human cells at physiological partial pressures. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 160, 152–166.
Bize, I. B., Oberley, L. W., and Morris, H. P., 1980, Superoxide dismutase and superoxide radical in Morris hepatoma. Cancer Research, 40, 3686–3692.
Carter, D. B., and Silver, I. A., 1960, Quantitative measurements of oxygen tension in normal tissues and in the tumours of patients before and after radiotherapy. Acta Radiologica, 53, 233–239.
Clarke, R., Senior, P. V., and Alexander, P., 1985, The effect of breathing 8% oxygen on the fate of intravenously injected rodent sarcoma cells. Treatment of Metastasis: Problems and Prospects, edited by K. Hellmann and S. A. Eccles (Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis Ltd), pp. 223–226.
Crapo, J. D., Barry, B. E., Foscue, H. A., and Shelburne, J., 1980, Structural and biochemical changes in rat lungs during exposures to lethal and adoptive doses of oxygen. American Review of Respiratory Diseases, 122, 123–143.
Dionisi, O., Galeotty, T., Terranova, T., and Azzi, A., 1975, Superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide formation in mitochondria from normal and neoplastic tissue. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, 403, 292–300.
Feder, B. H., Stein, J. J., Smith, T. K., Schaeflein, J. W., Boutelle, J. L., and Conroy, R. M., 1968, The effect of hyperbaric oxygen on pulmonary metastases in C3H mice. Radiology, 90, 1181–1184.
Freeman, B. A., and Crapo, J. D., 1981, Hyperoxia increases oxygen radical production in rat lungs and lung mitochondria. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 256, 10986–10992.
Gendimenico, G. J., Schlesinger, H. R., Ritter, M. A., and Haugaard, N., 1984, Inhibition of growth and decreased survival of B104 rat neuroblastoma cells after exposure to hyperbaric oxygen. In vitro, 20, 385–390.
Herndon, B. L., and Lally, J. J., 1984, Hyperbaric pressure effects measured by growth of a transplantable tumor in C3H/HeN mouse. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 73, 679–687.
Hackney, J. D., Evans, M. J. and Christie, B. R., 1975, Effects of 60% and 80% oxygen on cell division in lung alveoli of squirrel monkeys. Aviation Space Environment Medicine, 46, 791–794.
Johnson, R. E., Kagan, A. R., and Bryant, T. L., 1967, Hyperbaric oxygen effect on experimental tumor growth. Radiology, 88, 775–777.
Johnson, R. J. R., Wiseman, N., and Lauchlan, S. C., 1971, The effect of hyperbaric oxygen on tumor metastases in mice. Clinical Radiology, 22, 538–540.
Lindenschmidt, R. C., Trypka, A. F., and Witschi, H. P., 1986, Inhibition of mouse lung tumor development by hyperoxia. Cancer Research, 46, 1994–2000.
Marklund, S. I., Westman, N. G., Lundgren, E., and Roos, G., 1982, Copper- and zinc-containing superoxide dismutase, manganese-containing superoxide dismutases, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase in normal and neoplastic human cell lines and normal human tissues. Cancer Research, 42, 1955–1961.
McCredie, J. A., Inch, W. R., Kruuv, J., and Watson, T. A., 1966, Effects of hyperbaric oxygen on growth and metastases of the C3HBA tumour in the mouse. Cancer, 19, 1537–1542.
Oberley, L. W., Bize, I. B., Sahu, S. K., Chan Leuthauser, S. W. H., and Gruber, H. E., 1978, Superoxide dismutase activity in normal murine liver, regenerating liver, and H6 hepatoma. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 61, 375–379.
SHahu, S. K., Oberley, L. W., Stevens, R. H., and Riley, E. F., 1977, Brief communication: superoxide dismutase activity of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 58, 1125–1127.
Shewell, J., and Thompson, S. C., 1980, The effect of hyperbaric oxygen treatment of pulmonary metastasis in C3H mouse. European Journal of Cancer, 16, 253–259.
Suit, H. D., Lindberg, R., Suchato, C., and Ozaenne, A., 1967, Radiation dose fractionation and high pressure oxygen in radiotherapy of the DBA mouse mammary carcinoma. American Journal of Roentgenology, 99, 895–899.
Yamanaka, N. Y., and Deamer, D., 1974, Superoxide dismutase activity in WI-38 cell cultures. Effects of age, trypsinization, and SV-40 transformation. Physiology Chemistry and Physics, 6, 96–106.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Meštrović, J., Košuta, D., Gošović, S. et al. Suppression of rat tumor colonies in the lung by oxygen at high pressure is a local effect. Clin Exp Metast 8, 113–119 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00117784
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00117784