RESUMO
Roburic acid (ROB) is a naturally occurred tetracyclic triterpenoid, and the anticancer activity of this compound has not been reported. Docetaxel (DOC) is the first-line chemotherapeutic agent for advanced stage prostate cancer but toxic side effects and drug resistance limit its clinical success. In this study, the potential synergistic anticancer effect and the underlying mechanisms of ROB in combination with DOC on prostate cancer were investigated. The results showed that ROB and DOC in combination synergistically inhibited the growth of prostate cancer cells. The combination also strongly induced apoptosis, and suppressed cell migration, invasion and sphere formation. Mechanistic study showed that the combined effects of ROB and DOC on prostate cancer cells were associated with inhibition of NF-κB activation, down regulation of Bcl-2 and up regulation of Bax. Knockdown of NF-κB by small interfering RNA (siRNA) significantly decreased the combined effect of ROB and DOC. Moreover, we found that esomeprazole (ESOM), a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), strongly enhanced the effectiveness of ROB and DOC on prostate cancer cells in acidic culture medium. Since acidic micro environment is known to impair the efficacy of current anticancer therapies, ESOM combined with ROB and DOC may be an effective approach for improving the treatment of prostate cancer patients.
Assuntos
Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica , Docetaxel , Neoplasias da Próstata , Humanos , Masculino , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/síntese química , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/química , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/farmacologia , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Sobrevivência Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Docetaxel/química , Docetaxel/farmacologia , Relação Dose-Resposta a Droga , Ensaios de Seleção de Medicamentos Antitumorais , Esomeprazol/química , Esomeprazol/farmacologia , Estrutura Molecular , NF-kappa B/antagonistas & inibidores , NF-kappa B/metabolismo , Neoplasias da Próstata/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias da Próstata/metabolismo , Neoplasias da Próstata/patologia , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-bcl-2/antagonistas & inibidores , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-bcl-2/metabolismo , Relação Estrutura-Atividade , Células Tumorais CultivadasRESUMO
Cancer stem cell (CSC) plays an important role in pancreatic cancer pathogenesis and treatment failure. CSCs are characterized by their ability to form tumor spheres in serum-free medium and expression of CSC related markers. In the present study, we investigated the effect atorvastatin, celecoxib and tipifarnib in combination on proliferation and apoptosis in Panc-1 sphere-forming cells. The sphere-forming cells were isolated from Panc-1 cells by sphere-forming method. These sphere-forming cells showed CSC properties. The levels of CD44, CD133 and ALDH1A1 in the sphere-forming cells were increased. Moreover, Panc-1 sphere-forming cells were resistant to chemotherapeutic drug gemcitabine. Combined atorvastatin with celecoxib and tipifarnib synergistically decreased the sphere forming ability of Panc-1 cells and the drug combination also strongly inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis in the sphere-forming cells. The effects of the drug combination on the Panc-1 sphere-forming cells were associated with decreases in the levels of CD44, CD133 and ALDH1A1, and suppression of Akt and NF-κB activation. Results of the present study indicate that the combination of atorvastatin, celecoxib and tipifarnib may represent an effective approach for inhibiting pancreatic CSCs.