Temperature sensitivity on proliferation and morphologic alteration of human esophageal carcinoma cells in culture

Summary As basic studies of hyperthermia and hypothermia on malignant tumor, the kinetics of proliferative activity, the morphologic changes in the two cell lines, SGF-3 and SGF-5, established in our department after the change of culture temperature were examined. The results obtained were: a) A significant difference was found in the sensitivity to temperatures between the two cell lines originated from human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The temperature range allowing cultured cell to proliferate were from 31° to 39° C in SGF-3 and from 29° to 41° C in SGF-5. b) Minor difference occurred in the results between the two cell lines examined during the recovery of proliferative activity, but no proliferative activity was discovered after the cells were exposed to 42° C for 72 h. Two cell lines resumed their proliferation after having been exposed to 27° or 28° C for 72 h. c) Morphologic changes of the cell lines cultured at high temperature were cytoplasmic vacuolation and cell aggregation by phase contrast microscope and the increase of heterochromatin, the decrease of granular formation in nucleoli, and nucleolar vacuolation by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). At low temperatures the changes observed included cytoplasmic ballooning and circumnuclear halo formation by phase contrast microscope, and the increase of heterochromatin, nucleolar segregation, swelling of mitochondria, and dilatation of rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER) by TEM.