Effect of 3`-azido-3`-deoxythymidine (AZT) on telomerase activity and proliferation of HO-8910 cell line of ovarian cancer

Objective: To study the effect of 3`-azido-3`-deoxythymidine (AZT) on telomerase activity and the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells in vitro. Methods: Telomerase activity was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in treated and untreated HO-8910 cells by AZT. The detection of cell viability was performed with 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and the ultrastructure of the cells was observed by electron microscopy. The apoptotic rate of the cells was measured by flow cytometry. Results: AZT significantly inhibited telomerase activity of HO-8910 cells, and the effect was both time- and dose-dependent. The HO-8910 cells treated at different concentrations of AZT showed a significant reduction of cell viability and morphological changes of apoptosis. The apoptotic peak was detected in the AZT treated cells and the apoptotic rate was 14.2%. Conclusion: AZT can effectively inhibit both telomerase activity and proliferation of human ovarian cancer HO-8910 cells in vitro, suggesting that AZT may be used in the clinic treatment of ovarian cancer.