Effect of formaldehyde and resveratrol on the viability of Vero, HepG2 and MCF-7 cells

A non-transformed (Vero) and two tumor cell lines (HepG2 and MCF-7) were treated with 10 nM to 100 M formaldehyde. Lower doses (10 mu M to 10 mu M) enhanced the viability of the cultured cells, measured by MTT assay. Higher doses (75-100 mu M) decreased viability of the cells by 50% or more. The 100 mu M concentration of HCHO has been chosen for combination treatment of the three cell lines with a series of concentrations (0.2-100 mu M) of resveratrol, a phytoestrogen occurring in various fruits. Resveratrol decreased the cytotoxicity of formaldehyde depending on cell line and point of time, especially in case of MCF-7 cells at 24 and 72 h, Vero cells at 24 h and HepG2 cells at 48 h after treatment. Possible modes of interactions are discussed, considering the role of resveratrol in formaldehyde metabolism and also the estrogen receptor positivity of MCF-7 cells. (c) 2007 International Federation for Cell Biology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.