Low Concentration DMSO Stimulates Cell Growth and In vitro Transformation of Human Multiple Myeloma Cells

Aims: To evaluate the effect of Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on multiple myeloma (MM) cells.
Study Design: Experimental study.
Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, the Methodist Hospital, Cancer Pathology Lab, the Methodist Hospital Research Institute, between 2011 and 2013.
Methodology: We treated RPMI 8226 and Dox-40 MM cells with DMSO. The cell growth, proliferation, apoptosis, and colony formation were examined.
Results: Exposure of RPMI 8226 and Dox-40 myeloma cells to low concentrations of DMSO resulted in a marked increase in cell growth as detected by viable cell counts and cell proliferation analysis. This DMSO-stimulated cell growth showed a dose-dependent pattern and could reach a maximal 3.57 fold-increase in the presence of 0.2% DMSO. In contrast, other common solvents including methanol and ethanol had little or no effect on cell growth. In addition, the in vitro cell transformation assay by colony formation in soft agar culture revealed that the presence of low concentrations of DMSO significantly enhanced potential of oncogenesis of myeloma cells.
Conclusion: Taken together, the findings demonstrate that DMSO could stimulate growth and the in vitro transformation of myeloma cells. However, further work is needed to understand the effect of DMSO on the pathogenesis and progression of MM.