Ovarian cancer is associated with increased expression of the pro-angiogenic
chemokine interleukin-8 (IL-8, CXCL8), which induces
tumor cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and
metastasis. Even though
bortezomib (BZ) has shown remarkable anti-
tumor activity in
hematological malignancies, it has been less effective in
ovarian cancer; however, the mechanisms are not understood. We have recently shown that BZ unexpectedly induces the expression of
IL-8 in
ovarian cancer cells in vitro, by IκB
kinase (IKK)-dependent mechanism. Here, we tested the hypothesis that IKK inhibition reduces the
IL-8 production and increases BZ effectiveness in reducing ovarian
tumor growth in vivo. Our results demonstrate that the combination of BZ and the IKK inhibitor
Bay 117085 significantly reduces the growth of ovarian
tumor xenografts in nude mice when compared to either
drug alone. Mice treated with the BZ/
Bay 117085 combination exhibit smallest
tumors, and lowest levels of
IL-8. Furthermore, the reduced
tumor growth in the combination group is associated with decreased
tumor levels of S536P-p65 NFκB and its decreased recruitment to
IL-8 promoter in
tumor tissues. These data provide the first in vivo evidence that combining BZ with IKK inhibitor is effective, and suggest that using IKK inhibitors may increase BZ effectiveness in
ovarian cancer treatment.