What is it about?
Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the common malignancies worldwide. Although chemotherapy is often used in the treatment of the patients, it is also accompanied by severe side effects. The severity of these side effects can be reduced by using sensitizing agents that have the effect of decreasing the overall dose of the drugs to reduce side effects while maintaining their therapeutic effects. Our preliminary study showed that glaucocalyxin B (GLB) may have the potential to be a sensitizing agent for GC cells to cisplatin treatment. In the current work, we extensively investigated the effect and mechanisms for GLB as a sensitizing agent. We report that GLB can markedly sensitize GC cells to the alkylating drugs. The inclusion of low/nontoxic dosage of GLB in the treatment leads to cell cycle arrest and enhanced apoptosis/apoptosis. The novel findings of our work are of significant importance in the reduction of side effects associated with these drugs.
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Perspectives
In conclusion, this study demonstrates that GLB can improve MMC-, DDP-, and CTX-based chemotherapy in GC by decreasing the dose required, which in turn can reduce the side effects associated with MMC, DDP, and CTX. GLB sensitizes GC cells by interfering with proliferation, arresting the cell cycle, impairing replication, leading to telomerase shortening, and promoting apoptosis. Further in vivo investigation with tumor xenograft animal models will provide us more information on the potential combination therapy of GLB with MMC, DDP, or CTX in clinical treatment of GC. Moreover, identification of the direct targeting molecules of GLB and alkylating agents will provide us a better understanding of the sensitization effect.
Muhammad Saif Rahman
Zhejiang University
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This page is a summary of: Sensitization of gastric cancer cells to alkylating agents by glaucocalyxin B via cell cycle arrest and enhanced cell death, Drug Design Development and Therapy, August 2017, Dove Medical Press,
DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s145719.
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