Model of Ovarian Adenocarcinoma Spheroids for Assessing Photodynamic Cytotoxicity

The aim of the study was to compare the relevance of ovarian adenocarcinoma spheroids with that of a monolayer culture for assessing photodynamic effect of the tetrakis(4-benzyloxyphenyl)tetracyanoporphyrazine photosensitizer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The work was performed on SKOV-3 human ovary adenocarcinoma cells grown in vitro in a monolayer culture and in the form of tumor spheroids obtained using culture plates with ultra-low attachment. We determined the photoinduced toxicity of porphyrazine on a monolayer culture using the MTT assay; the effect on the spheroids was tested by assessing the dynamics of their growth. Cellular uptake of porphyrazine was analyzed by confocal microscopy. RESULTS: Porphyrazine has a pronounced photodynamic effect on SKOV-3 cells. When exposed to light at a dose of 20 J/cm(2), the IC(50) value 24 h after exposure was 2.3 μM for SKOV-3 monolayer culture. For the spheroids, the effect manifested after a latency period: significant growth retardation of the treated spheroids appeared no sooner than 5 and 9 days after exposure. Notably, no decrease in the initial size of the treated spheroids was observed under any of the photodynamic regimes. The penetration depth of porphyrazine into spheroids was 50–100 μm during 24 h incubation. CONCLUSION: The limited penetration of the photosensitizer into the body of spheroids and its predominant accumulation in the surface layers can be one of the key factors behind the significant differences in the photodynamic response between the surface and deep layers of a spheroid. For cells located close to the spheroid surface, the photodynamic effect is comparable to that for a monolayer culture, while in deeper layers, the cells remain viable and support/maintain the growth of the spheroid even under intense photo-exposure. The fact that the in vitro distribution is similar to the inhomogeneous accumulation of photosensitizers in tumors in vivo allows us to consider spheroids more relevant than a monolayer culture for studying photodynamic anti-tumor effects.