Anticancer effect of tetrandrine on primary cancer cells isolated from ascites and pleural fluids.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

The present study was designed to examine the effect of tetrandrine on primary cancer cells isolated from the ascites or pleural fluids of patients with metastatic cancers.

METHODS:

Primary cancer cells were isolated from the pleural fluids (n=13) or ascites (n=21) of patients. Compared with culture cell lines, the response of these cancer cells to tetrandrine and chemotherapeutic agents commonly used in clinical practice were determined by WST-8 assay. Tetrandrine-induced apoptosis in primary cancer cells was determined by Annexin V-FITC assay. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to examine the role of apoptotic associated genes in the anticancer effect of tetrandrine.

RESULTS:

The primary cancer cells isolated from effusions showed sensitivity to tetrandrine with IC50 values of 38.23+/-25.77microM, similar to the IC50 in established cell lines. Patients with gastric cancers were more sensitive to tetrandrine than patients with lung cancers (P=0.04). Four cancer cells isolated from effusions were resistant to tetrandrine, which also had increased tolerance to docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil. We also observed a weak but significant correlation between sensitivity to tetrandrine and cellular expression of bcl-2 (P=0.035, r=-0.364).

CONCLUSIONS:

Using cancer cells isolated from the ascites or pleural fluids, this study shows the potential anticancer effect of tetrandrine against primary cancer cells.

• Authors: Baorui Liu, Tingting Wang, Xiaoping Qian, Guangxia Liu, Lixia Yu, Yitao Ding
• Journal: Cancer letters (Cancer Lett) Vol. 268 Issue 1 Pg. 166-75 (Sep 08 2008) ISSN: 0304-3835 [Print] Ireland
• PMID: 18495333 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Antineoplastic Agents
• Benzylisoquinolines
• tetrandrine

Topics

• Antineoplastic Agents (pharmacology)
• Apoptosis
• Ascitic Fluid (drug effects, pathology)
• Benzylisoquinolines (pharmacology)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
• Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
• Humans
• Neoplasm Metastasis
• Pleural Effusion, Malignant (drug therapy, pathology)
• Time Factors