Objective: Thanatosomes were recently described as cytoplasmic structures that resemble hyaline globules and may be associated with cell death. Our aim was to assess and correlate the formation of thanatosomes and the induction of apoptosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cells treated with conventional chemotherapeutic drugs and apoptosis-inducing agents. The role of caspases in the formation of thanatosomes was also evaluated.
Design: Human oral SCC cells, including cisplatin-resistant SCC cells, were treated with the chemotherapeutic drugs cisplatin and doxorubicin. Also, staurosporine, a specific apoptosis-inducing agent, was used to treat SCC cells with or without preincubation with the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK. Morphologic changes were assessed by light microscopic and electron microscopic examination.