In vitro effects of β-carotene on human oral keratinocytes from precancerous lesions and squamous carcinoma

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Abstract
Human keratinocytes, obtained from bioptic specimens of healthy and preneoplastic oral mucosa, and from human cell lines from oral cavity tumors (KB and SCC-25) were treated with β-carotene (10 μM). The colony forming efficiency (CFE), the proliferation rate and the frequency of micronucleated cells were measured in these cultures. CFE was significantly reduced (p < 0.05) by β-carotene treatment in cells from healthy mucosa and in KB cells. Decreases (p < 0.05; NS) were also observed in cells from pathological mucosa and in SCC-25 cells. Cell proliferation rate was not substantially affected by β-carotene in all cultures. Finally, a decreased frequency of micronucleated cells was found in treated cultures, but significant reductions (p < 0.05) were only observed in cultures from oral mucosa (healthy and pathological) as well as in KB cell cultures. Our results indicate that β-carotene is able to reduce the clonogenic activity (CFE), even if it does not seem to influence cell proliferation, and that it has a protective effect against genotoxic damage.

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