The Anti-proliferative Effects of Recombinant Human Lysozyme on Human Gastric Cancer Cells

Abstract

We investigated the anti-proliferative effects of recombinant human lysozyme (rHlys) on gastric cancer cell lines and normal human lung fibroblasts. Using conventional molecular cloning techniques we purified rHlys, which we incubated with cultured cells and measured the effects on cell proliferation and viability. At concentrations of 100 and 1000 μg/l, rHlys significantly inhibited the growth of human gastric cancer cell lines. In contrast, 10 and 50 μg/l of rHlys stimulated gastric cancer cell growth. None of the concentrations of rHlys affected cell viability. Only the highest concentration of rHlys (1000 μg/l) inhibited human lung fibroblast growth. Our results suggest that 100 μg/l is the optimum growth inhibiting concentration, which inhibited cancer cell growth but not normal cell growth. Our in vitro findings suggest that genetically engineered rHlys might inhibit human gastric cancer cell proliferation in vivo, so it might warrant further investigation as a potential novel anti-cancer agent.