Quantitative Analysis with Atomic Force Microscopy of Cisplatin-induced Morphological Changes in HeLa and Ishikawa Cells

Because the cell membrane is an important regulator of cell function, its morphological changes are important markers of cell apoptosis. These changes can differ for each cell type, and depend on the treatment conditions, including the drug, doses, and treatment time. To quantify morphological changes, HeLa and Ishikawa cells were investigated with atomic force microscopy. Both cells were treated with cisplatin (1 mM) for 24 hours. The viability and proliferation of the cells were analyzed with methylthiazol tetrazolium method. The proliferation rates of both cells treated with cisplatin decreased more than 50%. The morphological changes induced by cisplatin were dependent on the cell type, and the results were determined quantitatively. The surface of HeLa cells became rougher with cisplatin treatment, whereas cisplatin-treated Ishikawa cells were smoother than untreated cells. In both cases, cell height was decreased with cisplatin treatment. These results suggest that atomic force microscopy can be used to analyze anticancer drug activity in cancer cells.