The effect of benzo(a) pyrene on cell cycle in cells with different p53 status

Objective To examine the pathway of effect of BaP on cell cycle.Methods We exposed BaP to human embryonic lung fibroblasts(HE LF,p53~(+/+)),human non-small cell lung cancer(A549,p53~(+/+)) and human non-snall cell lung cancer(H1299,p53~(-/-)),and monitored the changes in cell growth by cell counting,the cell size and cell cycle distribution by FACScan flow cytometer,and the mRNA levels of p53 by RT-PCR.Results BaP exposure promoted HELF and A549 cell growth,enlarged cell size,enhanced the transition of G1 phase to S and G2/M phase,and did not affect the cell proliferation and cell cycle distribution in H1299 cells.BaP exposure increased p53 mRNA to 4.03 and 2.48 times in HELF and A549 cells in comparison to the untreated cells.Conclusion It is concluded that the effect of BaP on cell proliferation and cell cycle maybe be related with p53 status in cells.