Anticancer effect of SN-38 on colon cancer cell lines with different metastatic potential

SN-38 is an active metabolite of the topoisomerase I inhibitor irinotecan. The mechanism behind its antitumor effect in colorectal cancer is not fully understood. In this study, we examined the response of colon cancer cell lines with different metastatic potential to SN-38. The parental human colon cancer cell line KM12C and its two highly metastatic derivatives KM12SM and KM12L4a were cultivated in 5% CO2 at 37 degrees C for 24 h and then exposed to SN-38 (2.5 microg/ml) at 37 degrees C for 4, 24 and 48 h, respectively. The cell cycle was measured by flow cytometry, apoptotic activity was determined by flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry and the expression of topoisomerase I, Bax and survivin proteins were examined by Western blot. The exposure of the cells to SN-38 induced S-phase and G2 arrest (P