Cytotoxic and Apoptotic Effects of Celecoxib and Topotecan on AGS and HEK 293 Cell Lines

Synergistic effect of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug in combination with topotecan on small cell lung cancer cells

BACKGROUND

The topoisomerase I inhibitor topotecan (TPT) is used in the treatment of recurrent small cell lung cancer (SCLC). However, the drug has a limited success rate and causes distress to patients due to its side effects, such as hematologic toxicities, including anemia and thrombocytopenia. Due to these pharmacokinetic limitations and undesirable side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs, the development of combination therapies has gained popularity in SCLC. Meclofenamic acid (MA), a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, has demonstrated anticancer effects on various types of cancers through different mechanisms. This study aims to investigate the potential synergistic effects of MA and TPT on the small cell lung cancer cell line DMS114.

METHODS AND RESULTS

To assess the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of the combined treatment of MA and TPT, trypan blue exclusion assay, Annexin V, acridine orange/propidium iodide staining, western blot, and cell cycle analysis were conducted. The results demonstrated that the combination of MA and TPT elicited synergistic effects by enhancing toxicity in DMS114 cells (P < 0.01) without causing toxicity in healthy epithelial lung cells MRC5. The strongest synergistic effect was observed when the cells were treated with 60 µM MA and 10 nM TPT for 48 h (CI = 0,751; DRI = 10,871).

CONCLUSION

This study, for the first time, furnishes compelling evidence that MA and TPT synergistically reduce cellular proliferation and induce apoptosis in SCLC cells. Combinations of these drugs holds promise as a potential therapeutic strategy to improve efficacy and reduce the side effects associated with TPT.

LPCAT1 enhances the invasion and migration in gastric cancer: Based on computational biology methods and in vitro experiments

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The biological functions and clinical implications of lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 1 (LPCAT1) remain unclarified in gastric cancer (GC). The aim of the current study was to explore the possible clinicopathological significance of LPCAT1 and its perspective mechanism in GC tissues.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The protein expression and mRNA levels of LPCAT1 were detected from in-house immunohistochemistry and public high-throughput RNA arrays and RNA sequencing. To have a comprehensive understanding of the clinical value of LPCAT1 in GC, all enrolled data were integrated to calculate the expression difference and standard mean difference (SMD). The biological mechanism of LPCAT1 in GC was confirmed by computational biology and in vitro experiments. Migration and invasion assays were also conducted to confirm the effect of LPCAT1 in GC.

RESULTS

Both protein and mRNA expression levels of LPCAT1 in GC were remarkably higher than those in noncancerous controls. Comprehensively, the SMD of LPCAT1 mRNA was 1.11 (95% CI = 0.86-1.36) in GC, and the summarized AUC was 0.85 based on 15 datasets containing 1727 cases of GC and 940 cases of non-GC controls. Moreover, LPCAT1 could accelerate the invasion and migration of GC by boosting the neutrophil degranulation pathway and disturbing the immune microenvironment.

CONCLUSION

An increased level of LPCAT1 may promote the progression of GC.