In vitro characterization of the cytotoxic profile of lidocaine on a-375 cutaneous melanoma cells and hacat keratinocytes

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) , one of the most aggressive types of cancer , presented a continuously increasing incidence in recent decades. Although the majority of CM-diagnosed patients are over 65 , a large percentage of females affected by this malignancy are of childbearing age , of which 1% are pregnant when diagnosed. The recent development of advanced therapies (e.g. , immunotherapy , targeted therapy) improved the outcomes in CM treatment , increasing the survival rate. However , in the particular case of pregnant women , the existing treatment options might affect the developing foetus , leading to teratogenic effects. Thus , the aim of the present work was to analyse the cytotoxic effect of lidocaine (LID) , one of the most widely used local anaesthetics , including during pregnancy , on A-375 cutaneous melanoma cells , to verify in vitro its potential efficiency in CM treatment. Comparatively , the potential safety of LID was evaluated on HaCaT immortalized healthy human keratinocytes. According to the obtained results , LID was found to lack cytotoxicity on HaCaT cells (up to the concentration of 0.2%) , while on A-375 cells , LID showed a stronger cytotoxic effect at this particular concentration , leading to changes in cell shape and confluence , as well as apoptosis-specific nuclear characteristics. Further studies should focus on the investigation of LID as a potential therapeutic option in CM treatment, which could be administered in situations where restrictions to classical therapies are raised.