OBJECTIVETo evaluate in vitro anti-tumor effect of chemotherapeutic drugs on human gastric cancer cells, and investigate the relationship with Bcl-2 expression.

METHODSSingle cell suspension was prepared from fresh gastric cancer tissue and exposed to taxol (Tax), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), cisplatin (CDDP), adriamycin (ADM), mitomycin (MMC) respectively for 48 hours. Metabolic activity and inhibitory rate of cells were detected by MTT assay. Expression of Bcl-2 was examined with immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSThe inhibitory rates of cancer cells exposed to chemotherapeutic drugs were different and Tax, 5-FU, CDDP had remarkably higher rates than ADM and MMC. The lower differentiated gastric cancer cells were more sensitive than the higher ones. Positive expression rate of Bcl-2 was 80% and the positive cells showed resistance to 5-FU, ADM and MMC.

CONCLUSIONSChemosensitive testing by MTT assay can constitute the prediction for the application of chemotherapeutic drugs individually. Overexpression of Bcl-2 may contribute to multiple drug-resistance of tumors.

Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Cell Survival ; Cisplatin ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Doxorubicin ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mitomycin ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Mitomycins ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Paclitaxel ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Stomach Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Ginsenoside Rg_3, an active component of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), was used as the substitute for cholesterol as the membrane material to prepare the ginsenoside Rg_3-based liposomes loaded with dihydroartemisinin and paclitaxel. The effect of the prepared drug-loading liposomes on triple-negative breast cancer in vitro was evaluated. Liposomes were prepared with the thin film hydration method, and the preparation process was optimized by single factor experiments. The physicochemical properties(e.g., particle size, Zeta potential, and stability) of the liposomes were characterized. The release behaviors of drugs in different media(pH 5.0 and pH 7.4) were evaluated. The antitumor activities of the liposomes were determined by CCK-8 on MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cells. The cell scratch test was carried out to evaluate the effect of the liposomes on the migration of MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cells. Further, the targeting ability of liposomes and the mechanism of lysosome escape were investigated. Finally, H9c2 cells were used to evaluate the potential cardiotoxicity of the preparation. The liposomes prepared were spheroid, with uniform particle size distribution, the ave-rage particle size of(107.81±0.01) nm, and the Zeta potential of(2.78±0.66) mV. The encapsulation efficiency of dihydroartemisinin and paclitaxel was 57.76%±1.38% and 99.66%±0.07%, respectively, and the total drug loading was 4.46%±0.71%. The accumulated release of dihydroartemisinin and paclitaxel from the liposomes at pH 5.0 was better than that at pH 7.4, and the liposomes could be stored at low temperature for seven days with good stability. Twenty-four hours after administration, the inhibition rates of the ginsenoside Rg_3-based liposomes loaded with dihydroartemisinin(70 μmol·L~(-1)) and paclitaxel on MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cells were higher than those of the positive control(adriamycin) and free drugs(P<0.01). Compared with free drugs, liposomes inhibited the migration of MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cells(P<0.05). Liposomes demonstrated active targeting and lysosome escape. In particular, liposomes showed lower toxicity to H9c2 cells than free drugs(P<0.05), which indicated that the preparation had the potential to reduce cardiotoxicity. The findings prove that ginsenoside Rg_3 characterized by the combination of drug and excipient is an ideal substitute for lipids in liposomes and promoted the development of innovative TCM drugs for treating cancer.
Humans ; Paclitaxel/pharmacology* ; Liposomes/chemistry* ; Ginsenosides/therapeutic use* ; Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Cardiotoxicity/drug therapy* ; Cell Line, Tumor

OBJECTIVETo investigate the antineoplastic effects of 2-Deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) combined with Taxol on orthotopically transplanted breast cancer in C3H mice and explore the mechanism.

METHODSC3H mice bearing orthotopically transplanted breast cancer xenograft were randomly divided into 4 groups, namely the control group, 2-DG group, Taxol group, and 2-DG+Taxol group. The corresponding drugs were administered intraperitoneally every 3 days for 18 consecutive days, and the tumor volume was measured every 3 days to draw the tumor growth curve. The mice were then sacrificed to measure the tumor weight on day 19 and examine tumor cell apoptosis with TUNEL assay and VEGF expression using immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS2-DG combined with Taxol obviously suppressed the tumor growth with a tumor inhibition rate of 66.06% as compared to the rate of 36.97% in Taxol group. The combined treatment also caused more obvious cell apoptosis and significantly reduced VEGF expression in the tumor cells as compared with the other groups.

CONCLUSION2-DG can enhance the inhibitory effect of Taxol on orthotopically transplanted breast cancer xenograft in C3H mice probably by inducing tumor cell apoptosis and lowering VEGF expressions.

Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Apoptosis ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Deoxyglucose ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Drug Synergism ; Female ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C3H ; Paclitaxel ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Feiji Recipe (FR) intervening indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) induced immune escape on the murine model of Lewis lung carcinoma. Methods Totally 48 C57BL/6 mice inoculated with Lewis lung cancer cells transfected with human (enhanced green fluorescent protein,EGFP)-IDO gene were divided into four groups according to radom digit table, i.e., the model group (administered with normal saline by gastrogavage) , the Chinese medicine group (treated with FR Decoction at the daily dose of 100 mg/g by gastrogavage), the 1-methyl-D-trytaphan (1-MT) group (administered with 1-MT mixed liquor at the daily dose of 100 mg/kg by gastrogavage), and the Paclitaxel group (treated with Paclitaxel at the daily dose of 15 mg/kg by peritoneal injection), 12 in each group. The intervention was started from the 2nd day of modeling. The survival time was observed in 24 of them. Ratios of CD4+ CD25+ FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) in the spleen were detected in the rest 24 mice by flow cytometry respectively.

RESULTSCompared with the model group, the survival time was significantly prolonged in the Chinese medicine group and the 1-MT group (P < 0.01); ratios of Treg cells remarkably decreased in the Chinese medicine group, the 1-MT group, and the Paclitaxel group (P < 0. 01). Compared with the Paclitaxel group, the survival time was significantly prolonged in the Chinese medicine group and the 1-MT group (P < 0.01); ratios of Treg cells decreased significantly in the 1-MT group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONFR could inhibit the proliferation of lung cancer cells and immune eseape, improve the immune function, and prolong the survival of tumor-bearing mice.

Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Lewis Lung ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase ; Lung Neoplasms ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Paclitaxel ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of paclitaxel, quizartinib and their combination on proliferation, apoptosis and FLT3/STAT5 pathway of human leukemia cell line MV4-11 (FLT3-ITD+). METHODS: MV4-11 cells were treated with paclitaxel and quizartinib at different concentrations for 24 h, 48 h and 72 h, respectively, and then the two drugs were combined at 48 h to compare the inhibition of proliferation, the apoptosis rate was detected by flow cytometry, the expression of FLT3 and STAT5 mRNA was determined by fluorescence quantitative PCR, and the protein expression of FLT3, p-FLT3, STAT5 and p-STAT5 was determined by Western blot. RESULTS: Different combination groups of paclitaxel and quizartinib had synergistic inhibitory effect. The cell survival rate in the combination group was significantly lower than that in the single drug group (P<0.05). The cell apoptosis rate in the combination group was significantly higher than that in the single drug group (P<0.001). The expression of FLT3 mRNA in combination group was significantly higher than that in two single drugs (P<0.01). The expression of STAT5 mRNA in combination group was significantly higher than that in quizartinib group (P<0.001); increased compared with paclitaxel group, but there was no statistical significance. The expression level of p-FLT3、p-STAT5 protein in the combination group was significantly lower than that in the single drug group (P<0.05, P<0.05). CONCLUSION Paclitaxel combined with quizartinib can synergistically inhibit the proliferation of MV4-11 cell line and promote the apoptosis of MV4-11 cell line by inhibiting the activity of FLT3/STAT5 pathway.
Apoptosis ; Benzothiazoles ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics* ; Paclitaxel/therapeutic use* ; Phenylurea Compounds ; RNA, Messenger ; STAT5 Transcription Factor/pharmacology* ; Signal Transduction ; fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have tumor initiation, self-renewal, metastasis and chemo-resistance properties in various tumors including colorectal cancer. Targeting of CSCs may be essential to prevent relapse of tumors after chemotherapy. Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signals are central regulators of cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. These pathways are related to colorectal tumorigenesis. This study focused on PI3K and mTOR pathways by inhibition which initiate differentiation of SW620 derived CSCs and investigated its effect on tumor progression. By using rapamycin, LY294002, and NVP-BEZ235, respectively, PI3K and mTOR signals were blocked independently or dually in colorectal CSCs. Colorectal CSCs gained their differentiation property and lost their stemness properties most significantly in dual-blocked CSCs. After treated with anti-cancer drug (paclitaxel) on the differentiated CSCs cell viability, self-renewal ability and differentiation status were analyzed. As a result dual-blocking group has most enhanced sensitivity for anti-cancer drug. Xenograft tumorigenesis assay by using immunodeficiency mice also shows that dual-inhibited group more effectively increased drug sensitivity and suppressed tumor growth compared to single-inhibited groups. Therefore it could have potent anti-cancer effects that dual-blocking of PI3K and mTOR induces differentiation and improves chemotherapeutic effects on SW620 human colorectal CSCs.
AC133 Antigen/genetics/metabolism ; Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology/therapeutic use ; Cell Differentiation/*drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Survival/drug effects ; Chromones/pharmacology/therapeutic use ; Colorectal Neoplasms/drug therapy/metabolism/pathology ; Humans ; Imidazoles/pharmacology/therapeutic use ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Morpholines/pharmacology/therapeutic use ; Neoplastic Stem Cells/cytology/drug effects/metabolism ; Paclitaxel/pharmacology/therapeutic use ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/*antagonists & inhibitors/metabolism ; Quinolines/pharmacology/therapeutic use ; SOXB1 Transcription Factors/genetics/metabolism ; Signal Transduction/*drug effects ; Sirolimus/pharmacology/therapeutic use ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/*antagonists & inhibitors/metabolism ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

OBJECTIVETo determine the correlation between results of ATP bioluminescence tumor chemosensitivity assay (ATP-TCA) of human ovarian cancer specimens in vitro and clinical chemo-therapeutic responses of patients.

METHODSThirty-four freshly taken ovarian cancer specimens (28 cases) and ascites (6 cases) and 9 chemotherapeutic drugs were tested in vitro for cancer chemosensitivity by ATP-TCA.

RESULTSAmong the 34 ovarian cancer cases, the efficacy of ATP-TCA is 94.0%, the sensitivity, the specificity, the positive and negative predicting values, and an overall predicting value in vitro and vivo were 90.0%, 91.7%, 94.7%, 84.6% and 90.6%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe results of ATP-TCA assay are correlated well with clinical treatment responses. The assay may be an important and useful method for individual-based chemotherapy of cancers.

Adenosine Triphosphate ; metabolism ; Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Carcinoma ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Cisplatin ; pharmacology ; Cyclophosphamide ; pharmacology ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Luminescent Measurements ; Middle Aged ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Paclitaxel ; pharmacology ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BackgroundPaclitaxel (PTX) could inhibit the growth of fibroblasts, which occurs in proliferative cholangitis and leads to biliary stricture. However, its use has been limited due to poor bioavailability and local administration for short time. This study designed and synthesized a new PTX-conjugated chitosan film (N-succinyl-hydroxyethyl chitosan containing PTX [PTX-SHEC]) and evaluated its safety and efficiency using in vivo and in vitro experiments.

Methods:The SHEC conjugated with PTX was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) measurements. Drug releases in vitro and in vivo were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. Cell viability in vitro was measured using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide. Rabbit biliary stricture model was constructed. All rabbits randomly divided into five groups (n = 8 in each group): the sham-operated rabbits were used as control (Group A), Groups B received laparotomies and suture, Group C received laparotomies and covered SHEC suture without the PTX coating, Group D received laparotomies and covered PTX-SHEC suture, and Group E received laparotomies and 1000 μmol/L PTX administration. Liver function tests and residual dosage of PTX from each group were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Histological data and α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) immunohistochemical staining of common bile duct were examined.

Results:NMR and FT-IR indicated that PTX was successfully introduced, based on the appearance of signals at 7.41-7.99 ppm, 1.50 ppm, and 1.03 ppm, due to the presence of aromatic protons, methylene protons, and methyl protons of PTX, respectively. No bile leak was observed. The PTX-conjugated film could slowly release PTX for 4 weeks (8.89 ± 0.03 μg at day 30). The in vitro cell viability test revealed significantly different levels of toxicity between films with and without PTX (111.7 ± 4.0% vs. 68.1 ± 6.0%, P < 0.001), whereas no statistically significant difference was observed among the three sets of PTX-contained films (67.7 ± 5.4%, 67.2 ± 3.4%, and 59.1 ± 6.0%, P > 0.05). Histological examinations revealed that after 28 days of implantment, Groups D and E (but not Group C) had less granulation tissue and glandular hyperplasia in the site of biliary duct injury than Group B. The pattern was more obvious in Group D than Group E. Less α-SMA-positive cells were found in tissue from Groups D and E. Comparing with Group E, the liver function was improved significantly in Group D, including total bilirubin (2.69 ± 1.03 μmol/L vs. 0.81 ± 0.54 μmol/L, P = 0.014), alanine aminotransferase (87.13 ± 17.51 U/L vs. 42.12 ± 15.76 U/L, P = 0.012), and alkaline phosphatase (60.61 ± 12.31 U/L vs. 40.59 ± 8.78 U/L, P < 0.001).

ConclusionsPTX-SHEC film effectively inhibites the myofibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix over-deposition during the healing process of biliary reconstruction. This original film might offer a new way for reducing the occurrence of the benign biliary stricture.

Animals ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Chitosan ; chemistry ; Cholangitis ; drug therapy ; Drug Carriers ; chemistry ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Membranes, Artificial ; Paclitaxel ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Rabbits ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared

UNLABELLEDObjective To evaluate the efficacy of 99mTc-labeled C2A probe in detection of apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells after chemotherapy.

METHODSImaging studies were performed in NSCLC H460-bearing mice. The mice were divided into 2 groups: the paclitaxel-treated group and control group. 99mTc-C2A was injected intravenously at 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after chemotherapy. Images were acquired at 3 h and 6 h after injection using a pinhole collimator. The regions of interest (ROI) were drawn in tumor area and contralateral nomal tissue, and the ratio of T/NT were caculated. The tumor sections were stained by HE and TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP-nick-end labeling) staining to confirm the presence of apoptosis. Activated caspase-3 was also analyzed with flow cytometry.

RESULTSLittle uptake of 99mTc-C2A was found in baseline images, but tumor uptake increased very much after chemotherapy, the T/NT ratio was 1.79 +/- 0.34, 2.23 +/- 0.33 and 2.78 +/- 0.34, respectively. The T/NT ratio of control was 1.48 +/- 0.23. Tumor uptake (% ID/g) of 99mTc-C2A in chemotherapy groups were 2.82 +/- 0.90, 3.13 +/- 0.48 and 3.52 +/- 1.18, respectively. Tumor uptake (% ID/g) in the control group was 1.21 +/- 0.51. It in paclitaxel-treatment groups were 2.82 +/- 0.90, 3.13 +/- 0.48 and 3.51 +/- 1.18, respectively, significantly higher than that in untreated mice. Furthermore, the uptake of 99mTc-C2A correlated well with apoptotic index (r = 0.56, P < 0.01), and activated caspase-3 (r = 0.59, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONOur preliminary results demonstrated that 99mTc-C2A imaging in vivo for detection of cell death in solid tumors is feasible and well correlated with TUNEL staining and activated caspase-3. The C2A holds promise and warrants further development as a molecular probe to early predict cancer treatment efficacy.

Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Paclitaxel ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Synaptotagmin I ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Technetium ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

In vivo tumor imaging technique method based on bioluminescence principle was established to evaluate the anti-tumor effect of paclitaxel mixed micelle (PMM). MDA-MB-231 tumor cells with luciferase reporter vectors were firstly implanted into nude mice, and subsequently the luciferase substrate was regularly injected during intraperitoneal administration of PMM. Then the tumor size, growth and the intensity of light signals were monitored with in vivo imaging technique. The method of luciferase tumor in vivo imaging could be real-time, reliable and exact in labeling and reflecting the growth of tumors, and the observed results were consistent with that by conventional method, so it would be a feasible approach to study anti-tumor effect of drugs. The anti-tumor effect of paclitaxel mixed micelle was observed by this method, and the results showed that this formulation could inhibit growth of tumor, and the anti-tumor rate of it was about 85%.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Female ; Humans ; Luminescent Measurements ; Male ; Melanoma, Experimental ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Nude ; Micelles ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Paclitaxel ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Particle Size ; Tumor Burden ; drug effects