Release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the lung cancer cell line CALU-1 in vitro
2008

Volatile Organic Compounds from Lung Cancer Cells

Sample size: 50 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Wojciech Filipiak, Andreas Sponring, Tomas Mikoviny, Clemens Ager, Jochen Schubert, Wolfram Miekisch, Anton Amann, Jakob Troppmair

Primary Institution: Innsbruck Medical University

Hypothesis

The study aims to confirm the existence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) specifically released or consumed by lung cancer cells.

Conclusion

Certain volatile compounds can be cancer-cell derived and indicative of the presence of a tumor, while others are consumed by the cancer cells.

Supporting Evidence

  • 4 compounds were significantly increased in the headspace of CALU-1 cells after 18 hours.
  • 12 compounds were significantly decreased in the headspace of CALU-1 cells after 18 hours.
  • Viability of CALU-1 cells remained high after incubation, ensuring VOC release was due to living cells.

Takeaway

The study found that lung cancer cells release some special gases that could help doctors find tumors, while they also use up other gases.

Methodology

50 million CALU-1 cells were incubated in a sealed fermenter for 4 to 18 hours, and air samples were analyzed using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

Potential Biases

Variability in measured peak areas may introduce bias in the results.

Limitations

The study's findings may be affected by the high background levels of VOCs in the culture medium.

Participant Demographics

Human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line CALU-1.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1475-2867-8-17

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