RESUMEN
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of sodium hyaluronate on the growth and adhesion of colorectal cancer cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Human colorectal cancer cell lines SW620 and Colo205 were treated with sodium hyaluronate (25 -2,500 microg/ml), and cancer cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay in vitro. Flow-cytometric analysis was applied to detect expression of CD44 on SW620 and Colo205 cells.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>In vitro sodium hyaluronate enhanced proliferation of Colo205 cells, but it had no appreciable effect on SW620 growth under the same doses, Meantime, CD44 expression on cancer cells decreased compared with controls.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In vitro sodium hyaluronate has different effects on growth of different colorectal cancer cell lines, but can inhibit CD44 expression of colorectal cancer cells and influence their ability of adhesion.</p>