
Clinical Cancer Research Vol. 6, 4142-4147, October 2000
© 2000 American Association for Cancer Research
Experimental Therapeutics, Preclinical Pharmacology |
Neutron Radiation Enhances Cisplatin Cytotoxicity Independently of Apoptosis in Human Head and Neck Carcinoma Cells1
Harold E. Kim,
Mary Ann Krug,
Inn Han,
John Ensley,
George H. Yoo,
Jeffrey D. Forman and
Hyeong-Reh Choi Kim2
Departments of Radiation Oncology [H. E. K., I. H., J. D. F.], Pathology [M. A. K., H-R. C. K.], Internal Medicine [J. E.], and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery [G. H. Y.], Wayne State University School of Medicine, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, Michigan 48201
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ABSTRACT
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Recent
advances in combined modality treatment of locally advanced head and
neck cancer have improved local and regional disease control and
survival with better functional outcome. However, the local and
regional failure rate after radiation therapy is still high for tumors
that respond poorly to cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy. This
clinical observation suggests a common biological mechanism for
resistance to cisplatin and photon irradiation. In this report, we
investigated the molecular basis underlying cisplatin resistance in
head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSCC) cells and asked if fast
neutron radiation enhances cisplatin cytotoxicity in
cisplatin-resistant cells. We found that cisplatin sensitivity
correlates with caspase induction, a cysteine proteinase family known
to initiate the apoptotic cell death pathway, suggesting that apoptosis
may be a critical determinant for cisplatin cytotoxicity. Neutron
radiation effectively enhanced cisplatin cytotoxicity in HNSCCs
including cisplatin-resistant cells, whereas photon radiation had
little effect on cisplatin cytotoxicity. Interestingly,
neutron-enhanced cisplatin cytotoxicity was associated neither with
apoptosis nor with cell cycle regulation, as determined by caspase
activity assay, annexin V staining, and flow cytometric analysis. Taken
together, the present study provides a molecular insight into cisplatin
resistance and may also provide a basis for more effective
multimodality protocols involving neutron radiation for patients with
locally advanced head and neck cancer.
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INTRODUCTION
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HNSCC3
constitutes
5% of all new cancers diagnosed annually in the United
States (1)
. Frequently, they are locally advanced and
inoperable because of the extent of primary lesions or metastatic lymph
nodes in the neck. Recent advances in management with a
multidisciplinary approach including radiotherapy and chemotherapy
resulted in improved local and regional disease control with better
functional outcomes (2
, 3)
. Cisplatin is among the most
widely used and most effective chemotherapeutic agents for HNSCC
patients. However, locally advanced head and neck tumors with poor
response to neoadjuvant cisplatin chemotherapy also respond poorly to
subsequent photon radiation treatment (4
, 5)
. This
clinical observation suggests the possibility of a common biological
mechanism for resistance to cisplatin and photon irradiation
treatments. Failure of photon radiation therapy is thought to involve
tumor hypoxia and genetic changes causing intrinsic radioresistance.
Compared with photons, neutrons have a higher linear energy transfer
and generate more dense ionization, resulting in a greater number of
free radicals and causing more double-stranded DNA breakage than
photons. Neutrons differ from photons in the mode of their interactions
with tissue. Whereas photons interact with the orbital electrons of the
atoms of the absorbing material, neutrons interact with the nuclei of
atoms of the absorbing material (6)
. At present, neutron
radiation therapy for head and neck squamous cancer has been limited,
especially in combination with chemotherapy.
In the present study, we investigated the molecular basis underlying
cisplatin resistance in human HNSCC and whether neutron irradiation
enhances cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity more effectively than photon
irradiation. We also examined whether cytotoxicity is associated with
apoptosis sensitivity and/or cell cycle arrest. For this study, we used
five HNSCC cell lines derived from patients with well-documented
clinical histories.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS
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SRB Assay.
Cells in 96-well plates were washed with PBS, fixed with 10% ice-cold
trichloroacetic acid at 4°C for 1 h, then washed with water five
times, and dried at room temperature. The cellular proteins in each
well were stained with 100 µl of 0.4% SRB in 1% acetic acid at room
temperature for 20 min and then washed with 1% acetic acid four times
and dried at 37°C for another 30 min. To dissolve the SRB bound to
cellular protein, 200 µl of 10 mM Tris were added to each
well and incubated at room temperature with mechanical agitation until
the color became homogeneous. SRB bound to protein was measured by
absorbance at a 550-nm wavelength using a Benchmark Micro-Plate Reader
(Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA).
Caspase Activity Assay.
Cells were collected at 0, 36, and 48 h after treatment with 5
µM cisplatin and then lysed in 50 mM Tris
buffer (pH 7.5) containing 0.03% Nonidet and 1 mM DTT.
Nuclei were removed by low-speed centrifugation (800 x
g for 5 min), and the cytosol fraction was incubated with 40
µM DEVD-amc, 10 mM HEPES
(pH 7.5), 50 mM NaCl, and 2.5
mM DTT in a total volume of 200 µl for 60 min
at 37°C. Fluoromethylcoumarin fluorescence, released by caspase
activity, was measured using 360-nm excitation. A CCD device (Instaspec
IV; Oriel, Stratford, CT) fitted with a monochromator was used to
measure the fluorescence emission spectrum. The intensity at the
optimum (
450 nm) was measured. DEVDase activity was normalized per
µg of protein determined by BCA protein assay kit (Pierce).
Photon Irradiation.
A Co-60 beam was used to irradiate the cells at a single dose of 2, 4,
6, or 12 Gy. The flasks containing cells were irradiated in a Lucite
phantom at a dose rate of 85100 cGy/min.
Neutron Irradiation.
The Wayne State d(48.5) +Be fast neutron beam was used to irradiate the
cells at a dose of 0.67, 1.34, 2, or 4 Gy. The flasks containing cells
were placed in a tissue-equivalent plastic phantom (TEP-A150) at the
isocenter of the machine. The calibration of the experiment set-up was
performed according to the international protocol for neutron dosimetry
(7)
. The cells were irradiated at a dose rate of
2030 cGy/min.
Cell Culture and Clonogenic Cell Survival Assay.
Establishment of human HNSCC lines was described previously (8
, 9)
. Cells were cultured in three parts DMEM/F-12 with 1 part
F-12 nutrient medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, 30
µg/ml bovine pituitary extract, 0.1 ng/ml human epidermal growth
factor, 5 µg/ml insulin, 0.5 µg/ml hydrocortisone, 100 units/ml
penicillin, 100 µg/ml streptomycin, 2 mM
L-glutamine, and 0.5 µg/ml fungizone in a 95% air and
5% CO2 incubator at 37°C. One day prior to the
experiment, cells were plated into T-25 flasks. After irradiation,
cells were trypsinized and counted, and appropriate dilutions were
made. The appropriate number of cells was plated into two replicate
plates. After 13 weeks, colonies were stained and counted.
Detection of Apoptotic Cells by Annexin V Staining.
Cells were washed with ice-cold PBS, trypsinized, and resuspended in
1x binding buffer [10 mM HEPES/NaOH (pH 7.4), 140
mM NaCl, and 2.5 mM
CaCl2] at a concentration of 1 x
106 cells/ml. One hundred µl of the cell
solution were mixed with 5 µl of annexin V FITC (PharMingen) and 10
µl of propidium iodide stock solution (50 µg/ml in PBS) by gentle
vortexing, followed by 15 min incubation at room temperature in the
dark. Four hundred µl of 1x buffer were added to each sample and
analyzed at the Imaging Flow Cytometry Core Facility within 1 h.
Apoptotic cells were detected by annexin V FITC staining, and necrotic
cells were detected by propidium iodide staining.
Determination of Cell Cycle Distribution.
Cells were trypsinized, washed with PBS, and fixed with 70% ethanol.
The fixed cells were spun down and resuspended in Hoechst staining
solution at a concentration of 1 x 106
cells/ml and incubated for 3 min at room temperature. The Hoechst
staining solution consisted of 3 mg/ml Hoechst 33258 (Sigma Chemical
Co., St. Louis, MO) in Tris buffer (2 mM
MgCl2, 0.1% Triton X-100, 154 mM
NaCl, and 100 mM Tris, pH 7.5). The percentage of cells in
each cell cycle phase was determined at the Imaging Flow Cytometry Core
Facility at our institute.
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RESULTS
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Cisplatin-induced Cytotoxicity Varies in Human HNSCC Cell Lines.
To investigate the molecular basis for resistance to cisplatin in human
HNSCC cells, we tested cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity on HNSCC lines
(HN6, HN12, HN13, HN17, and HN30) derived from head and neck cancer
patients (8
, 9)
. Anatomical locations of tumors from which
cell lines were generated, the clinical stages of patients
(T1T4), and the degrees
of cancer cell metastasis to lymph node
(N0N3) are listed in
Table 1
. The cell numbers after cisplatin
treatment were measured by SRB staining, which stains for cellular
proteins (10)
. Cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity in a
dose-dependent manner in these cells as shown in Fig. 1
. Forty-eight h of treatment with 1
µM cisplatin induced significant cytotoxicity in HN6,
HN13, and HN17 cells, whereas it had little effect on HN12 and HN30
cells. More than 95% of HN12 and HN30 cells remained viable after
48 h of 5 µM cisplatin treatment. In contrast,
approximately 5565% of HN6 and HN13 cells survived after the same
treatment (Fig. 1)
. Whereas HN17 cells showed intermediate sensitivity
after 48 h of 5 µM cisplatin treatment (Fig. 1)
,
72 h of treatment with 5 µM cisplatin resulted in
cytotoxicity at a comparable level among HN6, HN13, and HN17 cells
(data not shown). Treatment with 10 µM cisplatin for
48 h further induced cytotoxicity in HN6, HN13, and especially in
HN17 cells but significantly less in HN12 and HN30 cells. Taken
together, we concluded that HN12 and HN30 are relatively resistant to
cisplatin compared with HN6, HN13, and HN17 cells.

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Fig. 1. Cisplatin induces cytotoxicity in HNSCC cell
lines. Confluent HN6, HN12, HN13, HN17, and HN30 cells were treated
with various concentrations of cisplatin for 48 h. Cell survival
was measured using SRB assay. All experiments were performed in
triplicate; bars, SD.
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Cisplatin Inducibility of Caspase Activity Correlates with Its
Cytotoxicity.
Although the molecular mechanisms underlying resistance to
chemotherapeutic agents are unclear at present, recent studies suggest
that apoptosis plays a critical role for determining chemosensitivity
(11
, 12) . Activation of caspases is known to be a hallmark
of apoptosis induction. Caspases are a group of cysteine proteases that
cleave substrates after aspartic acid residues and initiate the
apoptotic cell death process (13
, 14)
. We asked whether
cisplatin sensitivity correlates with caspase activity in HNSCC.
Because caspase-3 and caspase7 are the two most common caspases
activated in the apoptotic cell death process and their recognition
sequences are the tetrapeptide DEVD (reviewed in Refs. 15
and 16
), we measured caspase activity using the
fluorogenic substrate Ac-DEVD-amc. As shown in Fig. 2
, DEVDase activity increased over time
in cisplatin-sensitive HN6, HN13, and HN17 cells after 5
µM cisplatin treatment. In contrast, there was no
detectable increase in DEVDase activity in cisplatin-resistant HN12 and
HN30 cells after the same cisplatin treatment. This showed that caspase
induction is associated with cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity in HNSCC.

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Fig. 2. Caspase activity in HNSCC after cisplatin
treatment. DEVDase inducibility in HN6, HN12, HN13, HN17, and HN30
cells was determined by amc release from the tetrapeptide substrate
Ac-DEVD-amc at indicated time points after treatment with 5
µM cisplatin. DEVDase activity/µg cytosolic lysate at
36 h and 48 h treatment was normalized to that at 0 h.
Bars, SD.
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Neutron Radiation Enhances Cisplatin-induced Cytotoxicity More
Effectively than Photon Radiation.
We next asked whether neutron radiation enhances cisplatin-induced
cytotoxicity more effectively than photon radiation, especially in
cisplatin-resistant cells. We compared neutron and photon radiation
efficacy in HNSCC. Clonogenic cell survival was examined 13 weeks
after irradiation (as described in "Materials and Methods"),
showing more effective HNSCC killing by neutron irradiation (Table 2)
. The RBE of neutrons relative to
photons for 10% tumor growth inhibition (90% cell survival) was 4.2
in HN12, 2.8 in HN17, and 3.1 in HN30. RBE for 50% growth inhibition
was 3.4 in HN12, 2.7 in HN17, and 2.5 in HN30, and RBE for 90%
inhibition was 2.7 in HN12, 2.4 in HN17, and 2.3 in HN30 (Table 2)
.
Because the RBE of neutrons relative to photons is
3, we compared
the combined effect of cisplatin and 2 Gy photon irradiation with
cisplatin and 0.67 Gy neutron irradiation, and 6 Gy photon irradiation
with 2 Gy neutron irradiation. To determine cisplatin-induced
cytotoxicity in combination with photon or neutron irradiation, cells
were treated with 1 µM cisplatin 2 h prior to
irradiation, and cell survival was determined 48 h after
irradiation. As shown in Fig. 3
A, cisplatin treatment
followed by neutron irradiation was far more effective to induce
short-term cytotoxicity in HNSCC cells than cisplatin treatment
followed by photon irradiation. To compare the effects of photon and
neutron irradiation on cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity, combined
cytotoxicity was plotted after normalization to cisplatin-induced
cytotoxicity in the respective cell line as shown in Fig. 3
B
(cell survival after 48 h of 1 µM
cisplatin treatment alone shown as 100%). Photon irradiation failed to
significantly enhance cisplatin-induced short-term cytotoxicity in all
lines tested. Interestingly, combined treatment with photon irradiation
at 2 Gy enhanced cell survival >60% in HN6 cells compared with 1
µM cisplatin treatment alone in HN6, the most
sensitive line to 1 µM cisplatin treatment (see
Fig. 1
). In contrast to photon irradiation, neutron effectively
enhanced cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity in all HNSCC lines tested.

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Fig. 3. Neutron enhances cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity
in HNSCC. Confluent cells were treated with 1 µM
cisplatin 2 h prior to photon or neutron radiation and cultured
for an additional 48 h in the presence of 1 µM
cisplatin. Cell survival was determined by SRB assay. A,
cell survival after different treatments was normalized to untreated
cells. B, cell survival after cisplatin treatment alone
was arbitrarily given as 100%, and cell survival after cisplatin
treatment in combination with photon or neutron radiation was
normalized to that after cisplatin treatment alone in each cell line.
All experiments were performed in triplicate; bars,
SD.
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Neutron Irradiation Enhances Cisplatin-induced Cytotoxicity
Independently of Apoptosis or Cell Cycle Regulation.
We next examined whether neutron-enhanced cisplatin cytotoxicity
resulted from further activation of caspases, resulting in apoptotic
cell death. DEVDase activity was measured using the fluorogenic
substrate Ac-DEVD-amc in five HNSCC lines after cisplatin treatment,
neutron irradiation, or combined treatment of cisplatin and
neutron irradiation. Caspase activity was insignificant after neutron
irradiation. Caspase activity after combined treatment was
significantly lower than cisplatin-induced caspase activity (data
not shown). This suggests that neutron-enhanced cytotoxicity was not
associated with apoptosis induction. To confirm this, we examined the
appearance of phosphatidylserine on the cell surface, recognized as a
universal feature of apoptosis (17, 18, 19)
. Apoptotic cells,
identified as those binding to annexin V, were readily detected after
cisplatin treatment (Table 3)
in
cisplatin-sensitive HN13 cells. In cisplatin-resistant HN30 cells, only
5% of cells were apoptotic after the same treatment, further
substantiating the conclusion that apoptosis is critical for HNSCC
sensitivity to cisplatin. Interestingly, combined treatment with either
neutron or photon irradiation significantly reduced cisplatin-induced
apoptosis in HN13 and had little effect on HN30 apoptosis. Both caspase
assay and annexin V staining indicate that neutron enhancement of
cisplatin-induced cell killing is independent of apoptosis induction.
Although apoptosis can be induced at any point of the cell cycle,
apoptosis sensitivity seems to differ depending on cell cycle points.
Increasing evidence suggests that photon irradiation induces cell cycle
arrest at G1-S or G2-M, and
the ability to induce cell cycle arrest after photon irradiation may be
a critical determinant for radiation sensitivity. However, the
relationship between neutron and cell cycle regulation is not
understood. We next investigated whether differences between photon-
and neutron-induced cytotoxicity in combination with cisplatin resulted
from differences in cell cycle regulation. To this end, we analyzed
cell cycle distribution after a single treatment of cisplatin, photon
or neutron irradiation, or combined treatment of cisplatin with
radiation. As shown in Fig. 4
, neutron
irradiation alone or together with cisplatin treatment resulted in cell
cycle arrest, similar to photon irradiation. This suggests that the
ability of neutron, but not photon, irradiation to effectively enhance
cisplatin cytotoxicity is not directly associated with cell cycle
regulation.

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Fig. 4. Cell cycle distribution of HNSCC. HN12, HN13,
HN17, and HN30 cells were treated with 1 µM cisplatin
treatment alone or in combination with 6 Gy photon radiation, or with 2
Gy neutron radiation. After 48 h of treatment, the percentage of
cells in each cell cycle phase was determined by flow cytometric
analysis.
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DISCUSSION
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Recent advances in combined modality treatment of locally advanced
HNSCC have improved local and regional disease control with better
functional outcome. However, local and regional failure rate after
radiation therapy is still high for tumors that poorly respond to
cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (2
, 3)
. Recent
in vitro studies showed that preexposure of human HNSCC
cells to photon radiation increased resistance to subsequent cisplatin
treatment (20)
. Similarly, cisplatin-resistant tumors also
respond poorly to subsequent photon radiation treatment (4
, 5)
. At present, the molecular basis underlying cisplatin and
photon radiation resistance is largely unknown, and the design of more
efficacious multimodality protocols is in demand.
Neutron-induced cytotoxicity appears to be less dependent on tissue
oxygenation or genetic background of the cells, and neutron-induced DNA
damage is less repairable than photon radiation (6)
. To
overcome resistance to photon therapy, neutron radiation treatments
have been attempted since the 1960s (21, 22, 23)
. Several
Phase III randomized studies have been completed in HNSCC. Six used low
energy/or laboratory-based neutron generators of marginal
capability, and the seventh used state-of-the-art equipment
(24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
. Direct comparisons between these trials were
difficult because of the diversity of treatment equipment, total
radiation doses, and patient populations. A recent Phase III study used
hospital-based cyclotrons in a prospective collaborative international
randomized trial (29)
. A total of 178 patients
participated in the study that directly compared state-of-the-art fast
neutron radiation therapy with photon and electron radiation therapy.
The complete response rate in the neutron-treated group of patients was
70% versus 52% in the low linear energy transfer-treated
group. Although neutron therapy improved the initial response rate, it
failed to improve permanent local-regional tumor control and increased
the incidence of late normal tissue cytotoxicity. The strategy for
neutron therapy was based on limited clinical experience. Time schedule
and fractionation scheme modification or combined modality therapy with
chemotherapy may be needed to improve tumor cell killing with reduced
normal tissue cytotoxicity. The present study demonstrated that
moderate neutron dose enhances cisplatin cytotoxicity in all HNSCC
tested, including cisplatin-resistant cell lines. This may provide a
basis to revisit the use of neutron radiation in patients with locally
advanced HNSCC and to establish more effective multimodality protocols.
In summary, the present study clearly suggests that cisplatin-induced
cytotoxicity correlates with apoptosis sensitivity and caspase
induction, providing an insight into the molecular basis for cisplatin
resistance in HNSCC cells. In agreement with previous studies, neutron
enhancement of cisplatin cytotoxicity was associated neither with cell
cycle phase or apoptosis. By understanding the molecular mechanism of
neutron cytotoxicity in these cell lines, novel approaches to
overcoming cisplatin resistance may be elucidated.
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FOOTNOTES
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The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
1 Supported by Grants CA64139 from the NIH/NCI and
by DAMD17-96-1 6181 from the United States Army (to H-R. C. K.), by a
departmental grant (to I. H.), and by American Cancer Society Grant
CRTG-99-246-01-CCE (to G. H. Y.). 
2 To whom requests for reprints should be
addressed, at Department of Pathology, Wayne State University School of
Medicine, 540 East Canfield, Detroit, MI 48201. Phone: 313-577-2407 or
577-0193; Fax: 313-577-0057; E-mail: hrckim{at}med.wayne.edu 
3 The abbreviations used are: HNSCC, head and neck
squamous cell carcinoma; SRB, sulforhodamine B; RBE, relative
biological effectiveness. 
Received 5/16/00;
revised 7/17/00;
accepted 7/17/00.
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