Impact of taurolidine on the growth of CC531 coloncarcinoma cells in vitro and in a laparoscopic animal model in rats

The object of this study was to examine the effect of taurolidine on intraabdominal tumor growth in a laparoscopic animal model. We tested the cytotoxic, antiadhesive, and anti-invasive effects of this substance on CC531 adenocarcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo using WAG rats.

For in vitro experiments, Transwell dual chambers with polycarbonate filters coated with 100 μg/cm² Matrigel were used to investigate the effects of 5, 10, and 20 μl of 2.0% taurolidine on the invasion of 1 × 10⁵ CC531 adenocarcinoma cells. For the adhesion assays, tumor cells were applied onto microtiter plates coated with 5, 10, and 20 μl taurolidine and 0.9% NaCl solution for the control group subsequently. For in vivo experiments, 40 WAG rats were randomized into three therapy groups and one control group. All animals underwent laparoscopy and received 1 ml of CC531 adenocarcinoma cells (5 × 10⁶ cells/ml) intraabdominally at the beginning of the procedure. According to the randomization, the rats were administered taurolidine with different concentrations or 1 ml of 0.9% NaCl solution for the control group. After 21 days, the animals were killed and the intraabdominal tumor weight was determined.

For the in vitro experiments, we found a moderate cytotoxicity and a significant inhibition of tumor cell adhesion and invasion (p < 0.01) by all taurolidine concentrations used in the assay. For in vivo experiments, the application of all concentrations of taurolidine significantly decreased the intraperitoneal tumor weight (p < 0.001).

Taurolidine significantly decreases adhesion and invasion of CC531 adenocarcinoma cells in vitro and significantly diminishes tumor growth in vivo. This may offer additional therapeutic options for laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer.