Increased radioresistance of tumor cells exposed to metallothionein-inducing agents

In this study, we have determined the radiosensitivity parameters of cells exposed in vitro to metallothionein-inducing agents. Three well-characterized tumor cell lines were chosen for investigation: HeLa, B16, and WHFIB. We have shown that exposure of cells in vitro to a heavy metal (cadmium), followed by irradiation, enhances cell survival for two out of three cell lines studied. As measured by the mean inactivation dose, the radioresistance increases by a factor of 1.6 for HeLa cells, 1.4 for WHFIB, and a negligible factor for B16 cells. An additional effect was noted when different classes of metallothionein inducers (such as serum factors, cadmium, and dexamethasone) were allowed to act together. Also, we found that the increase in radioresistance exhibits a peak at exposure times of approximately 10 h; longer exposure to inducing agents results in a reduction in radioresistance.