Growth inhibitory effect of 4-phenyl butyric acid on human gastric cancer cells is associated with cell cycle arrest

AIM: To investigate the growth effects of 4-phenyl butyric acid (PBA) on human gastric carcinoma cells and their mechanisms. METHODS: Moderately-differentiated human gastric carcinoma SGC-7901 and lowly-differentiated MGC-803 cells were treated with 5, 10, 20, 40, and 60 mu mol/L PBA for 1-4 d. Cell proliferation was detected using the MTT colorimetric assay. Cell cycle distributions were examined using flow cytometry. RESULTS: The proliferation of gastric carcinoma cells was inhibited by PBA in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. Flow cytometry showed that SGC-7901 cells treated with low concentrations of PBA were arrested at the G(0)/G(1) phase, whereas cells treated with high concentrations of PBA were arrested at the G(2)/M phase. Although MGC-803 cells treated with low concentrations of PBA were also arrested at the G(0)/G(1) phase, cells treated with high concentrations of PBA were arrested at the S phase. CONCLUSION: The growth inhibitory effect of PBA on gastric cancer cells is associated with alteration of the cell cycle. For moderately-differentiated gastric cancer cells, the cell cycle was arrested at the G(0)/G(1) and G(2)/M phases. For lowly-differentiated gastric cancer cells, the cell cycle was arrested at the G(0)/G(1) and S phases. (C) 2012 Baishideng. All rights reserved.