Polyamines are considered to be important intracellular molecules for the proliferation of
cancer cells. In this study, effects of methyl-
glyoxal bis(cyclopentylamidinohydrazone) (
MGBCP), a potent inhibitor of the
polyamine biosynthetic pathway, on the growth of human
osteosarcoma HuO9 cells have been investigated.
MGBCP dose-dependently inhibited the growth of HuO9 cells, in which the contents of
spermine,
spermidine and
putrescine decreased concomitantly. The
MGBCP-treated cells clearly exhibited morphological changes, indicating the blebbing and
chromatin condensation which are characteristic of apoptosis. Characteristic oligonucleosomal-sized
DNA fragments were observed in the
MGBCP-treated cells. In in vivo experiments
MGBCP (20 or 50 mg/kg) inhibited the growth of transplanted HuO9
tumors in mice. These findings suggest that the inhibition of
polyamine synthesis results in the suppression of growth of
osteosarcoma HuO9 cells, eventually inducing apoptosis in these human
osteosarcoma cells in vitro and in vivo.