Enhanced cell-killing action of cisplatin in the presence of terbium chloride

The literature indicates that the interaction of Tb3+ with DNA modified by the antitumour drug cis-diaminedichloroplatinum(II) (CDDP) results in substantial enhancement of the fluorescence of this cation, while no enhancement is observed in the case of DNA modified by irradiation with ionizing radiation. This study investigates the effect of Tb3+ on the survival of cultured mammalian cells treated with CDDP. HeLa cells were treated with a combination of 195mPt-CDDP and TbCl3, and the relationship between lethal effect and the numbers of Tb and/or Pt atoms binding to DNA, RNA and proteins was examined. The Tb content in each fraction was determined using instrumental neutron activation analysis. It was found that the cytotoxic effect of CDDP was greatly enhanced by the presence of Tb ions (D0 of CDDP fell from 8.3 μM without Tb to 3.2 μM with 0.75 mM Tb), while no such effect was found in radiation-induced cell-killing. The number of Tb atoms bound to DNA molecules in a cell was calculated to be about 4.5 x 107, namely 1 per 1.400 nucleotides, under that situation. (author)