Enhancement of Cisplatin Sensitivity by Microwave Radiation in Ovarian Cancer Cells

Background: Nowadays, ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological cancer worldwide. Tumor debulking surgery followed by Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is the first line of ovarian cancer therapy. However, many patients experience a relapse of the disease due to chemotherapy resistance. Accordingly, this study aims to investigate the ability of microwave (MW) radiation to increase the susceptibility of ovarian cancer cells toward Cisplatin (Cis).

Methods: Firstly we designed a hand-made electromagnetic field exposure system and CO2 incubator to irradiate cells with a frequency equal to 2450±30 MHz and a power density of 2.47 mW/cm2 at a distance of 30 cm from the antenna. Two ovarian cancer cell lines A2780 (Cisplatin-sensitive) and A2780CP (Cisplatin-resistant) were subjected to either Cis, MW alone or Cisplatin + microwave radiation (Cis+MW). Cell viability, apoptosis, and P53 gene expression were assessed following drug/radiation exposure.

Results: After 48 hours of treatment the combination of Cis and MW radiation has significantly inhibited the growth of the A2780 and A2780CP cell lines in comparison with Cis-control groups. The percentages of early apoptosis induced by Cis+MW was significantly increased in comparison with Cis alone. P53 expression was significantly upregulated after treatment with Cis+MW.

Conclusion: It can be concluded that MW radiation has been able to decrease the resistance of ovarian cancer cells to Cis and it may improve the chemotherapy protocol for ovarian cancer treatment.