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Shan Y, Li Y, Han H, Jiang C, Zhang H, Hu J, Sun H, Zhu J. Insulin reverses choriocarcinoma 5- fluorouracil resistance. Bioengineered 2021; 12:2087-2094. [PMID: 34034636 PMCID: PMC8806519 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2021.1931643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Choriocarcinoma (CC) is a gestational trophoblastic tumor secondary to a gravid or non-gravid pregnancy. It is characterized by rapid growth, high invasion, and high metastatic potential and chemotherapy resistance that significantly affect survival rate of CC patients. Insulin is implicated in alleviation of chemotherapy resistance in CC. However, the mechanism of reversing resistance in CC has not been explored. Our purpose was to explore insulin effect on 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) resistance in CC and elucidate its potential mechanism in vitro and in vivo. CKK-8, colony formation, Transwell, and flow cytometry were used to detect the effect of insulin on 5-FU resistance in CC cells JEG-3 and JARS. Xenograft mice were used to evaluate the effect of insulin on 5-FU resistance. Results showed that insulin combined with 5-FU suppressed cell viability by 30% in JEG-3 and 43% in JAR compared with 5-FU alone in 72 h. What’s more, insulin combined with 5-FU promoted cell apoptosis, inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and phosphorylation of survivin at residue threonine 34 (Thr34) and drug resistance-related proteins, P-GP and MRP1 levels (p < 0.05). In vivo experiment showed Insulin combined with 5-FU suppressed tumor volume by 35% compared with 5-FU alone and 73% compared with control in CC xenograft mice. In summary, the findings of this study show that insulin reversed chemoresistance of CC cells to 5-FU by inhibiting phosphorylation of survivin. Development of a therapeutic strategy that combines insulin with the chemotherapeutic agent 5-FU has a great potential in improving survival of CC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Shan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Pudong, China
| | - Yanyi Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Pudong, China.,Department of Health Science, Graduate School of Medical, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Hongyu Han
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Pudong, China
| | - Cui Jiang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Pudong, China
| | - Hu Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Pudong, China
| | - Jiachang Hu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Pudong, China
| | - Huanmei Sun
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Pudong, China
| | - Jianglong Zhu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Pudong, China
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Agrawal S, Woźniak M, Łuc M, Makuch S, Pielka E, Agrawal AK, Wietrzyk J, Banach J, Gamian A, Pizon M, Ziółkowski P. Insulin enhancement of the antitumor activity of chemotherapeutic agents in colorectal cancer is linked with downregulating PIK3CA and GRB2. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16647. [PMID: 31719636 PMCID: PMC6851401 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53145-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The present state of cancer chemotherapy is unsatisfactory. New anticancer drugs that marginally improve the survival of patients continue to be developed at an unsustainably high cost. The study aimed to elucidate the effects of insulin (INS), an inexpensive drug with a convincing safety profile, on the susceptibility of colon cancer to chemotherapeutic agents: 5-fluorouracil (FU), oxaliplatin (OXA), irinotecan (IRI), cyclophosphamide (CPA) and docetaxel (DOC). To examine the effects of insulin on cell viability and apoptosis, we performed an in vitro analysis on colon cancer cell lines Caco-2 and SW480. To verify the results, we performed in vivo analysis on mice bearing MC38 colon tumors. To assess the underlying mechanism of the therapy, we examined the mRNA expression of pathways related to the signaling downstream of insulin receptors (INSR). Moreover, we performed Western blotting to confirm expression patterns derived from the genetic analysis. For the quantification of circulating tumor cells in the peripheral blood, we used the maintrac method. The results of our study show that insulin-pretreated colon cancer cells are significantly more susceptible to commonly used chemotherapeutics. The apoptosis ratio was also enhanced when INS was administered complementary to the examined drugs. The in vivo study showed that the combination of INS and FU resulted in significant inhibition of tumor growth and reduction of the number of circulating tumor cells. This combination caused a significant downregulation of the key signaling substrates downstream of INSR. The results indicate that the downregulation of PIK3CA (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha), which plays a critical role in cell signaling and GRB2 (growth factor receptor-bound protein 2), a regulator of cell proliferation and differentiation may be responsible for the sensitizing effect of INS. These findings were confirmed at protein levels by Western blotting. In conclusion, these results suggest that INS might be potentially applied to clinical use to enhance the therapeutic effectiveness of chemotherapeutic drugs. The findings may become a platform for the future development of new and inexpensive strategies for the clinical chemotherapy of tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siddarth Agrawal
- Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
| | - Marta Woźniak
- Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Mateusz Łuc
- Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Sebastian Makuch
- Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Ewa Pielka
- Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Anil Kumar Agrawal
- 2nd Department and Clinic of General and Oncological Surgery, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Wietrzyk
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Banach
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Andrzej Gamian
- Department of Biochemistry, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Monika Pizon
- Transfusion Center Bayreuth, Kurpromenade 2, 95448, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Piotr Ziółkowski
- Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
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Agrawal S, Wozniak M, Luc M, Walaszek K, Pielka E, Szeja W, Pastuch-Gawolek G, Gamian A, Ziolkowski P. Insulin and novel thioglycosides exert suppressive effect on human breast and colon carcinoma cells. Oncotarget 2017; 8:114173-114182. [PMID: 29371977 PMCID: PMC5768394 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.23170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The rationale for the implementation of novel therapies should be based on hallmarks of cancer. Two novel compounds labelled as thioglycoside A and B were designed and evaluated on breast and colon cancer cell lines. We assessed their cytotoxic effect after sensitizing cancer cells with insulin. In order to explore the underlying mechanisms, we performed tests to assess cell migration and motility, apoptosis, expression of glucose transporter 1 and proapoptotic proteins. Both compounds proved to have an antitumor effect which was significantly enhanced in combination with insulin. Linking glucose and anticancer agent presents an approach that exploits the Warburg effect. Targeting dysfunctional glycometabolism and increased glucose absorption is emerging as a promising anticancer strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siddarth Agrawal
- Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Marta Wozniak
- Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Mateusz Luc
- Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Kinga Walaszek
- Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Ewa Pielka
- Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Wieslaw Szeja
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Bioorganic Chemistry and Biotechnology, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland
| | - Gabriela Pastuch-Gawolek
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Bioorganic Chemistry and Biotechnology, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland.,Biotechnology Centre, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland
| | - Andrzej Gamian
- Department of Biochemistry, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Piotr Ziolkowski
- Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
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Zhao T, Bai J, Zou Q, Chen F, Xie Y. Insulin in combination with cisplatin induces the apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells via p53 and JNK activation. Mol Med Rep 2017; 16:9095-9101. [PMID: 29039558 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2017.7752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2017] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug resistance is an obstacle to effective treatment of ovarian cancer. There have been substantial evidences supporting the association between diabetes and the sensitivity to chemotherapy. Insulin (INS) is believed to be the strongest, most lasting hypoglycemic drug. Therefore, the present study aimed to elucidate whether insulin could facilitate the anti‑proliferative activities of cisplatin (cis‑diamminedichloroplatinum, DDP) in the A2780 ovarian cancer cell line. The inhibitory effects of DPP with/without INS on the growth of A2780 cells was measured by MTT assay. The cell cycle stages and levels of apoptosis were determined by flow cytometry. The amounts of signaling elements involved in the regulation of were examined using western blotting and reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. The results indicated that INS pre‑treatment enhanced the inhibitory effect of DDP on the proliferation of A2780 cells, and facilitated the apoptosis induced by DDP. INS‑DDP treatment led to a marked decrease in the percentage of G0/G1 phase cells, but a corresponding increase in the proportion of S phase cells. Furthermore, A2780 cells pretreated with INS followed by DDP upregulated the protein expression level of phosphorylated c‑Jun N‑terminal kinase (JNK), which resulted in a substantial increase in the expression levels of p53 mRNA and protein, compared with DDP administration alone. In conclusion, the combination of INS and DDP facilitated the apoptosis of A2780 cells, which may be associated with the activation of the JNK signaling pathway and consequently the involvement of p53 at both mRNA and protein expression levels. These results may be useful in furthering our understanding of the mechanisms involved in the chemotherapeutic treatment of ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Zhao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jiading Central Hospital Affiliated Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Shanghai 201800, P.R. China
| | - Jun Bai
- Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Changzheng Hospital Affiliated to The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200003, P.R. China
| | - Qingyun Zou
- Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Changzheng Hospital Affiliated to The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200003, P.R. China
| | - Feng Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004, P.R. China
| | - Yan Xie
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jiading Central Hospital Affiliated Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Shanghai 201800, P.R. China
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5
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Agrawal S, Łuc M, Ziółkowski P, Agrawal AK, Pielka E, Walaszek K, Zduniak K, Woźniak M. Insulin-induced enhancement of MCF-7 breast cancer cell response to 5-fluorouracil and cyclophosphamide. Tumour Biol 2017. [PMID: 28631569 DOI: 10.1177/1010428317702901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The study was designed to evaluate the potential use of insulin for cancer-specific treatment. Insulin-induced sensitivity of MCF-7 breast cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents 5-fluorouracil and cyclophosphamide was evaluated. To investigate and establish the possible mechanisms of this phenomenon, we assessed cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis, activation of apoptotic and autophagic pathways, expression of glucose transporters 1 and 3, formation of reactive oxygen species, and wound-healing assay. Additionally, we reviewed the literature regarding theuse of insulin in cancer-specific treatment. We found that insulin increases the cytotoxic effect of 5-fluorouracil and cyclophosphamide in vitro up to two-fold. The effect was linked to enhancement of apoptosis, activation of apoptotic and autophagic pathways, and overexpression of glucose transporters 1 and 3 as well as inhibition of cell proliferation and motility. We propose a model for insulin-induced sensitization process. Insulin acts as a sensitizer of cancer cells to cytotoxic therapy through various mechanisms opening a possibility for metronomic insulin-based treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siddarth Agrawal
- 1 Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Mateusz Łuc
- 1 Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Piotr Ziółkowski
- 1 Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Anil Kumar Agrawal
- 2 Department of General and Oncological Surgery, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Ewa Pielka
- 1 Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Kinga Walaszek
- 1 Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Zduniak
- 1 Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Marta Woźniak
- 1 Department of Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
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VOLKOVA EKATERINA, ROBINSON BRIDGETA, WILLIS JINNY, CURRIE MARGARETJ, DACHS GABIU. Marginal effects of glucose, insulin and insulin-like growth factor on chemotherapy response in endothelial and colorectal cancer cells. Oncol Lett 2014; 7:311-320. [PMID: 24396438 PMCID: PMC3881921 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2013.1710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2013] [Accepted: 10/24/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Resistance to chemotherapy is a major clinical issue for patients with colorectal cancer. Obesity has been associated with a poorer outcome and is a possible mechanism of resistance. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of obesity-related factors on the cell response to standard chemotherapy in stromal and colorectal cancer cells. Viability was measured following the treatment of colorectal cancer cell lines (WiDr and SW620) and stromal cells (human microvascular endothelial cells) in vitro with 5-fluorouracil, irinotecan and oxaliplatin under obesity-related conditions [elevated levels of insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and glucose] and compared with non-elevated conditions. Obesity-related conditions alone increased cell viability and in selected cases, accumulation of the transcription factor, hypoxia-inducible factor-1. However, these conditions did not consistently increase resistance to the chemotherapy agents tested. The combination of IGF-1 and extremely low-dose chemotherapy significantly induced cell viability in WiDr colorectal cancer cells. These in vitro results may have clinical importance in an environment of increasing rates of obesity and colorectal cancer, and the frequent under-dosing of obese cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- EKATERINA VOLKOVA
- Mackenzie Cancer Research Group, Department of Pathology, University of Otago Christchurch, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - BRIDGET A. ROBINSON
- Mackenzie Cancer Research Group, Department of Pathology, University of Otago Christchurch, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
- Canterbury Regional Cancer and Blood Service, Canterbury District Health Board, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - JINNY WILLIS
- Lipid and Diabetes Research Group, Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - MARGARET J. CURRIE
- Mackenzie Cancer Research Group, Department of Pathology, University of Otago Christchurch, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - GABI U. DACHS
- Mackenzie Cancer Research Group, Department of Pathology, University of Otago Christchurch, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
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The effect of IGF-I receptor blockade for human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Tumour Biol 2013; 35:973-85. [PMID: 24026884 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-013-1131-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2013] [Accepted: 08/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) signaling is required for carcinogenicity and tumor development, and this pathway has not been well studied in human esophageal carcinomas. Esophageal cancer is one of the human cancers with the worst prognosis and has two main histologies: squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC) and adenocarcinoma (EAC). Previously, we have reported that detection of the IGF axis may be useful for the prediction of recurrence and poor prognosis of ESCC. We have also shown the successful therapy for several gastrointestinal cancers using recombinant adenoviruses expressing dominant negative IGF-IR (ad-IGF-IR/dn). The aim of this study is to develop potential targeted therapeutics to IGF-IR and to assess the effect of IGF-IR blockade in both of these types of esophageal cancer. We determined immunohistochemical expression of IGF-IR in a tissue microarray. We then assessed the effect of IGF-IR blockade on signal transduction, proliferation, apoptosis, and motility. Ad-IGF-IR/dn, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, BMS-536924, and adenovirus expressing shRNA for IGF-IR were used. IGF-IR expression was common in both tumor types but not in normal tissues. IGF-IR was detected in metastatic sites at similar levels compared to the primary site. IGF-IR inhibition suppressed proliferation and colony formation in both cancers. IGF-IR blockades up-regulated both stress- and chemotherapy-induced apoptosis and reduced migration. Although IGF-IR/dn blocked ligand-induced activation of Akt-1 mainly, BMS-536924 effectively blocked both activation of Akt and MAPK. The IGF axis might play a key role in tumor progression of esophageal carcinomas. The IGF-IR targeting strategies might thus be useful anticancer therapeutics for human esophageal malignancies.
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Liu X, Wei W, Huang S, Lin SS, Zhang X, Zhang C, Du Y, Ma G, Li M, Mann S, Ma D. Bio-inspired protein-gold nanoconstruct with core-void-shell structure: beyond a chemo drug carrier. J Mater Chem B 2013; 1:3136-3143. [PMID: 32260913 DOI: 10.1039/c3tb20081g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Chemotherapy has been widely used in clinical practice for cancer treatment. A major challenge for a successful chemotherapy is to potentiate the anticancer activity, whilst reducing the severe side effects. In this context, we design a bio-inspired protein-gold nanoconstruct (denoted as AFt-Au hereafter) with a core-void-shell structure which exhibits a high selectivity towards carcinoma cells. Anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) can be sequestered into the void space of the construct to produce an integrated nanoscale hybrid AFt-AuFU that exhibits an increased cellular uptake of 5-FU. More importantly, AFt-Au, serving as a bio-nano-chemosensitizer, renders carcinoma cells more susceptible to 5-FU by cell-cycle regulation, and thus, leads to a dramatic decrease of the IC50 value (i.e. the drug concentration required to kill 50% of the cell population) of 5-FU in HepG2 cells from 138.3 μM to 9.2 μM. Besides HepG2 cells, a remarkably enhanced anticancer efficacy and potentially reduced side effects are also achieved in other cell lines. Our further work reveals that the drug 5-FU is internalized into cells with AFt-Au primarily via receptor-mediated endocytosis (RME). After internalization, AFt-AuFU colocalizes with lysosomes which trigger the release of 5-FU under acidic conditions. Overall, our approach provides a novel procedure in nanoscience that promises an optimal chemotherapeutic outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyou Liu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
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Huang J, Ji G, Xing L, Li H, Wang Z, Ren G, Wu K, Kong L. Neo-endocrinochemotherapy: a novel approach for enhancing chemotherapeutic efficacy in clinic? Med Hypotheses 2013; 80:441-6. [PMID: 23375412 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2012.12.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2012] [Revised: 12/15/2012] [Accepted: 12/29/2012] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Chemosensitization means enhancing the sensitivity of tumor cells to chemotherapy with certain methods for better efficacy. Tumor progression depends on stimulation of multiple hormones, decrease in hormones during chemotherapy induces G0/G1 arrest of tumor cells, which may be the main cause for chemoresistance. Some of the choriocarcinoma and testicular tumors are curable with chemotherapy only, underlying mechanism may refer high level of human chorionic gonadotropin, which has thyroid stimulating hormone like effect and even induce hyperthyroidism in these patients. Some of these patients usually have high levels of thyroid hormones or suffer thyroid crisis during chemotherapy. Possibly owning to the proliferative or metabolic promotion effect of thyroid hormones and/or other endocrine hormones, which can promote tumor cells in G0 phase metabolizing actively or stepping into division cycle again, tumors are more sensitive to chemotherapy. Both endocrinotherapy and chemotherapy are major therapies for tumor, traditional endocrinotherapy suppresses tumor progression through decreasing tumor-dependent hormones or competitively combining and blocking hormone receptors. While, chemotherapy mostly killed tumor cells that proliferate actively, because tumor cells retardant in G0 phase by endocrinotherapy are no more sensitive to chemotherapy, endocrinotherapy cannot be concurrently used with chemotherapy. Nevertheless, decrease in hormones during chemotherapy is similar to concurrently using endocrinotherapy and chemotherapy. It has been found in some basic researches that some chemotherapeutics concurrently combined with endocrine hormones can achieve better efficacy compared with chemotherapy only. It is therefore hypothesized in this article that decrease in hormones during chemotherapy causes cell cycle arrest and renders tumor cells insensitive to chemotherapy; addition of endocrine hormones to mimic the hormones and microenvironment changes during chemotherapy for patients with choriocarcinoma or testicular tumor-curable with chemotherapy only, will rescue tumor cells from cell cycle arrest rendering them sensitive to chemotherapy. This new combinative therapy of concurrently using endocrine hormones and chemotherapy is defined as choriocarcinoma-mimic chemotherapy or neo-endocrinochemotherapy to distinguish the routine term of endocrinochemotherapy and is expected to be a novel approach to enhance chemotherapeutic efficacy in clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianbo Huang
- Department of Endocrine and Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, PR China.
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Wang XL, Ma F, Wu XZ. Anticancer effects of 5-fluorouracil combined with warming and relieving cold phlegm formula on human breast cancer. Chin J Integr Med 2011; 18:599-604. [PMID: 22160948 DOI: 10.1007/s11655-011-0878-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the anticancer effects of warming and relieving cold phlegm formula (, WRCP), a Chinese medical mixture composed of the aqueous extracts of Aconitum carmichaeli, Rhizoma bolbostemmatis, Phytolacca acinosa, Panax notoginseng, and Gekko swinhonis Gūenther, combined with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on human breast cancer in vivo. METHODS Seventy-two Nu/Nu mice inoculated with MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells were randomized into the control group, 5-FU group, high-dose WRCP (hWRCP) group, medium-dose WRCP (mWRCP) group, low-dose WRCP (lWRCP) group, or combination of mWRCP and 5-FU group in a 1:1:1:1:1:1 ratio. Drug administration was commenced on the day following tumor implantation. The control group was injected daily with normal saline (N.S.) intraperitoneally; the 5-FU group was injected with 5-FU at 30 mg/kg intraperitoneally every third day for a total of 7 treatments; the hWRCP group, mWRCP group and lWRCP group received daily doses of 5, 1, and 0.2 g/kg of WRCP, respectively, by gastric perfusion; and the combination group was treated with 5-FU plus mWRCP on the same schedules as above. All treatments lasted for 22 days. Tumor volume, tumor weight, inhibition rate of tumor weight, necrosis rate of tumor, organ index, and change in body weight of nude mice were measured. RESULTS The combination group and the hWRCP group had significantly smaller tumor volumes (580±339 mm(3) and 587±249 mm(3) versus 1055±234 mm(3), respectively), lower tumor weights (0.42±0.29 g and 0.52±0.29 g versus 0.80±0.15 g, respectively), and higher tumor necrosis rates (22.7% and 25.6% versus 9.4%, respectively) as compared with the control group (all <0.05). Similar changes were found in the 5-FU, mWRCP, and lWRCP groups when compared with the control group but were not statistically significant, except for the tumor weight for the 5-FU group. The combination group and the hWRCP group had significantly smaller tumor volumes compared with the 5-FU group (778±202 mm(3), both <0.05). The combination group had the highest tumor inhibition rate (47.7%), followed by the hWRCP group (35.2%) and 5-FU group (28.3%). The 5-FU group had a lower body weight increase (1.37±2.06 g versus 5.60±0.72 g, <0.05) and a lower spleen index (4.064±1.774 mg/10 g versus 5.294±1.796 mg/10 g) as compared with the control group, whereas the combination group reversed the changes in the 5-FU group with the body weight increase of 3.52±1.80 g (P <0.05) and spleen index of 7.036±1.599 mg/10 g (P <0.05). The spleen indices in the hWRCP, mWRCP, and IWRCP group were all significantly higher than that in the 5-FU group (P <0.01 or P<0.05). No significant differences in body weight change were observed in WRCP groups compared with the control group P>0.05). CONCLUSION The treatment combination of WRCP and 5-FU was more effective in the inhibition of tumor growth than either agent alone and may have potentially additional benefit in improving the general condition and immunity of the mice with human breast cancer cell implants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Lin Wang
- Zhong-Shan-Men In-patient Department, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin 300171, China
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