Published online Oct 15, 2000. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v6.i5.676
Revised: June 16, 2000
Accepted: June 23, 2000
Published online: October 15, 2000
AIM: To investigate the morphological and ultrastructural changes in the human gastric carcinoma cell line BGC-823 after being treated with tachyplesin.
METHODS: Tachyplesin was isolated from acid extracts of Chinese horseshoe crab (Tachypleus tridentatus) hemocytes. BGC-823 cells and the cells treated with 2.0 mg/L tachyplesin were examined respectively under light microscope, scanning and transmission electron microscope.
RESULTS: BGC-823 cells had undergone the restorational alteration in morphology and ultrastructure after tachyplesin treatment. The changes were as follows: the shape of cells was unanimous, the volume enlarged and cells turned to be flat and spread, the nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio lessened and nuclear shape became rather regular, the number of nucleolus reduced and its volume lessened, heter-chromatin decreased while euchromatin increased in nucleus. In the cytoplasm, mitochondria grew in number with consistent structure relatively, Golgi complex turned to be typical and well-developed, rough endoplasmic reticulum increased and polyribosome decreased. The microvilli at cellular surface were rare and the filopodia reduced while lamellipodia increased at the cell edge.
CONCLUSION: Tachyplesin could alter the malignant morphological and ultrastructural characteristics of human gastric carcinoma cells effectively and have a certain inducing differen-tiation effect on human gastric carcinoma cells.