Effects of amiloride treatment of U-118 MG and U-251 MG human glioma and HT-29 human colon carcinoma cells

Human glioma (U-118 MG, U-251 MG) and human colon carcinoma (HT-29) spheroids and monolayers were continuously exposed to amiloride under physiological Na+ and HCO3- conditions. Amiloride in concentrations of 0.1-0.2 mM inhibited growth, while 0.5 mM or higher induced disintegration of the glioma spheroids within 4-6 days. Growth retardation of the HT-29 spheroids was achieved at concentrations of 0.4-0.5 mM and total growth inhibition and disintegration were achieved at 1.0 mM. Monolayer cultures of glioma cells were also more sensitive to amiloride than those of colon carcinoma cells. The higher amiloride concentrations induced pyknotic nuclei mainly in the central areas of the spheroids where the extracellular pH (pHe) was low. The amiloride-sensitive glioma spheroids had lower pHe than the colon carcinoma spheroids. The intracellular pH (pHi), measured in monolayers, was higher (7.11-7.18) in glioma cells than in colon carcinoma cells (6.94). High concentrations of amiloride, 1.0 mM for 1 h in combination with low Na+ concentrations, caused a strong pHi decrease in glioma cells but only a slight decrease in the colon carcinoma cells. The pHi measurements in glioma monolayers were carried out after 2-6 days of continuous exposure to 0.1 mM amiloride at physiological levels of Na+ and HCO3- to simulate the conditions during growth inhibition. After several days this caused, when growth already was inhibited, an acidification of pHi. Parallel measurements with X-ray microanalysis showed an increase of intracellular sodium and a decrease of intracellular potassium in the gliomas, while no such changes were seen in the colon carcinoma cells under identical conditions. It is concluded that the two glioma cell lines were more sensitive to amiloride, both as monolayers and spheroids, than the corresponding cultures of the colon carcinoma cell line. The inhibition of proliferation by amiloride seemed not to have a clear connection to pHi regulation.