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¹ Department of Internal Medicine, University of Florence Medical School, Viale Pieraccini 6, 50139 Florence, Italy
² Department of Pathology, University of Florence Medical School, Florence, Italy
³ Department of Clinical Physiopathology, University of Florence Medical School, Florence, Italy
⁴ DEGENE Spin-off, University of Florence Medical School, Florence, Italy

(Requests for offprints should be addressed to M L Brandi at Department of Internal Medicine, University of Florence; Email: m.brandi{at}dmi.unifi.it)

In somatostatinoma, a rare malignant somatostatin (SST)-secreting neoplasia, tumour regression is rarely observed, implying the need for novel antiproliferative strategies. Here, we characterized a long-term culture (SST-secreting cancer (SS-C cells)) established from a human somatostatinoma. High concentrations of SST and chromogranin A were released by SS-C cells and SST release was stimulated by depolarizing stimuli and inhibited by the SST analogue, octreotide. SS-C cells expressed mRNA for SST receptor (SSTR) subtypes 1, 2 and 4, being also able to bind native SST. Moreover, SS-C cells were positively stained with an antibody to SSTR2. SS-C cells also expressed interferon- (IFN-) receptor mRNA and measurable telomerase activity. Our findings indicate that in vitro exposure of SS-C cells to native SST-28, to octreotide, to IFN-, or to 3'-azido-3'deoxythymidine (AZT), a telomerase inhibitor, results in inhibition of SS-C cell proliferation. Concomitant with growth inhibition, apoptosis was detected in SST-, octreotide-, IFN-- or AZT-treated SS-C cell cultures. Taken together our results characterized native SST, SST analogues, IFN- and a telomerase inhibitor as growth-inhibiting and proapoptotic stimuli in cultured human somatostatinoma cells. Based on these findings, the potential of SST analogues, IFN- and AZT, alone or in combination, should be further explored in the medical treatment of somatostatinoma.