In vitro synergistic cytotoxic effect of triptolide combined with hydroxycamptothecin on pancreatic cancer cells

• Published in: The American journal of Chinese medicine (1979) Vol. 39; no. 1; p. 121
• Main Authors: Yang, Su-Wen, Wang, Wei, Xie, Xin-You, Zhu, Wan-Ping, Li, Fang-Qiong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore 2011
• Subjects: Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - therapeutic use; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Camptothecin - pharmacology; Camptothecin - therapeutic use; Caspase 3 - metabolism; Caspase 9 - metabolism; Cell Line, Tumor; Diterpenes - pharmacology; Diterpenes - therapeutic use; Drug Synergism; Epoxy Compounds - pharmacology; Epoxy Compounds - therapeutic use; Humans; NF-kappa B - metabolism; Pancreatic Neoplasms - drug therapy; Pancreatic Neoplasms - metabolism; Phenanthrenes - pharmacology; Phenanthrenes - therapeutic use; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Tripterygium - chemistry
• ISSN: 0192-415X
• DOI: 10.1142/S0192415X11008695

Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease characterized by low sensitivity to conventional chemotherapeutic treatment that has a poor prognosis. Therefore, novel effective chemotherapeutic regimens need to be developed. In this study, we analyzed the combined cytotoxic effect of triptolide and hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT) on pancreatic cancer cell line PANC-1 by using 3-(4.5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxy-methoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, inner salt (MTS) and fluorescence- activated cell sorting (FACS) assays. Our results showed that the sensitivity of a combined therapy using triptolide and HCPT was higher than that of triptolide or HCPT alone and that activation of caspase-9/caspase-3 and inhibition of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) signaling pathway may contribute to the synergistic cytotoxic effect of this combination therapy. Therefore, our observations provided evidence supporting the clinical applications of the combination chemotherapy using triptolide and HCPT for treating pancreatic cancer.