Effect of CIK on multidrug-resistance reversal and increasing the sensitivity of ADR in K562/ADR cells

Therapeutic outcomes of autologous CIK cells as a maintenance therapy in the treatment of lung cancer patients: A retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

Few clinical studies have confirmed the role of cytokine-induced killer cells (CIKs) in the maintenance therapy of advanced lung cancer patients. We investigate effectiveness and tolerability of CIKs as a maintenance therapy in the treatment of advanced lung cancer patients.

METHODS

70 patients with advanced lung cancer (stage IIIB to IV) admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Third Military Medical University in Chongqing from Nov. 2011 to Jan. 2015 and treated with CIKs were enrolled as a CIKs group (T group), and another 70 advanced lung cancer patients treated with optimal supportive care during the same period were enrolled as a control group(C group). The changes of immune system, response rate, disease control rate, overall survival, and side effects were compared between the two groups. Furthermore, the factors that might influence the efficacy of CIKs therapy were evaluated.

RESULTS

Compared with the healthy people, the ratios of CD3⁺, CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells significantly decreased (P<0.05) in lung cancer patients. After CIKs treatment, the ratios of CD3⁺ and CD4⁺ T cells and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ significantly increased (P<0.05). The response rate (RR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 34.3% and 80.0% in the CIKs group, which were significantly higher than those in the control group (11.4% and 54.3%, both P<0.05). Besides, the median PFS was significantly improved in the CIKs group than that in control group (6 months vs. 4 months, P<0.05). Although median OS was 28 months in CIKs group while 22 months in control group, no significant difference was observed (P>0.05). However, The 2-year, 3-year survival rates were 56.8% and 21.6% in the CIK group, respectively, which were significantly improved compared to that in the control group (both P<0.05). KPS score significantly increased in the CIKs group (P=0.001). 6 patients suffered from transient fever or chills in the process of CIKs transfusion, and no other side effect was observed. Furthermore, we also found that TNM stage, tumor size, metastasis in vital organs and KPS score were all factors associated with efficacy of CIKs treatment.

CONCLUSION

CIKs treatment, as a maintenance therapy, is safe and effective for advanced lung cancer patients, and can also improve the immune imbalance, RR, DCR, PFS, OS and quality of life of the lung cancer patients.

Reversal effect and mechanism of Ginkgo biloba exocarp extracts in multidrug resistance of mice S180 tumor cells

The aim of the present study was to investigate the reversal effect and its related mechanism of Ginkgo biloba exocarp extracts (GBEEs) in obtained multidrug resistance (MDR) of mice S180 tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. In order to simulate the clinical PFC [cis-dichlorodiamineplatinum, cisplatin (DDP) + fluorouracil (FU), FU+cyclophosphamide and cyclophosphamide] scheme, a gradually increasing dose was administered in a phased induction in order to induce S180 cells in vivo and to make them obtain multidrug resistance. The results in vitro demonstrated that GBEE could significantly increase the IC₅₀ of DDP on S180 MDR cells, increase the accumulation of Adriamycin (ADR) and rhodamine 123 (Rho 123), and reduce the efflux of Rho 123 of S180 MDR cells. The results from the in vivo treatment with a combination of GBEE and DDP to S180 MDR ascites tumor in mice demonstrated that each dose of GBEE could effectively reverse the drug-resistance of S180 MDR cells to DDP in order to extend the survival time of mice with ascite tumors and inhibit tumor growth in solid tumor mice. In addition, GBEE effectively inhibited the expression of MDR-1 mRNA and multidrug resistance-associated protein-1 mRNA in S180 MDR cells of ascites tumor in mice and improved the expression levels of cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-3, IL-18 and interferon-γ in the blood serum of S180 MDR tumor-bearing mice. The present study showed that the mechanism of GBEE reversal of MDR may be associated with the inhibition of the functional activity of P-glycoprotein, the downregulation of drug resistance related gene expression of S180 MDR cells and the improvement of the production of related serum cytokines of S180 MDR tumor mice.

Differential effects of c-myc and ABCB1 silencing on reversing drug resistance in HepG2/Dox cells

Multidrug resistance (MDR) in various kinds of cancers represents a true obstacle which hinders the successes of most of current available chemotherapies. ATP-binding cassette (ABC) trasporter proteins have been shown to contribute to the majority of MDR in various types of malignancies. c-myc has recently been reported to participate, at least partly, in MDR to some types of cancers. This study aimed to test whether c-myc could play a role, solely or with coordination with other ABCs, in the resistance of HepG2 cells to doxorubicin (Dox). MDR has been induced in wild-type HepG2 and has been verified both on gene and protein levels. Various assays including efflux assays as well as siRNA targeting ABCB1 and c-myc have been employed to explore the role of both candidate molecules in MDR in HepG2. Results obtained, with regard to ABCB1 silencing on HepG2/Dox cells, have shown that ABCB1-deficient cells exhibited a significant reduction in ABCC1 expression as compared to ABCB1-sufficient cells. However, these cells did not show a significant reduction in other tested ABCs (ABCC5 and ABCC10) while c-myc silencing had no significant effect on any of the studied ABCs. Moreover, silencing of ABCB1 on HepG2 significantly increased fluorescent calcein retention in HepG2 cells as compared to the control cells while downregulation of c-myc did not have any effect on fluorescent calcein retention. Altogether, this work clearly demonstrates that c-myc has no role in MDR of HepG2 to Dox which has been shown to be ABCB1-mediated in a mechanism which might involve ABCC1.

Cytokine-induced killer cells induce apoptosis and inhibit the Akt/nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway in cisplatin-resistant human glioma U87MG cells

Despite advances in the development of treatment methods, glioma remains among the cancer types with a high rate of mortality. Therefore, significant efforts are made to develop novel strategies for the treatment of glioma. Ineffective, long-term cancer chemotherapy can lead to multidrug resistance (MDR), which is one of the most common reasons for the failure of chemotherapy. The present study investigated the effects of cytokine‑induced killer cells (CIK) on reversing MDR in cisplatin-resistant U87MG cells (U87MG/DDP). Mononuclear cells were isolated from the peripheral blood of healthy individuals and cultured in vitro in the presence of a combination of cytokines to generate CIK for the treatment of U87MG/DDP. An MTS assay, flow cytometric analysis of apoptosis, ELISA, western blotting and reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction were used to investigate the MDR-reversing effects of CIK as well as the underlying mechanisms. The results showed that cisplatin sensitivity and the apoptotic rate following cisplatin treatment were increased, P‑glycoprotein expression was decreased and the intracellular rhodamine‑123 content was increased in U87MG/DDP co‑cultured with CIK. In addition, the present study also identified increased mRNA and protein expression levels of MDR gene 1 (MDR1), MDR‑associated protein 1 (MRP1), B-cell lymphoma 2, Survivin and glutathione S-transferase‑π, while the phosphorylation of AKT and the transcriptional activity of nuclear factor‑κB in CIK co‑cultured U87MG/DDP was decreased. These results indicated that pre‑treatment with CIK reversed the MDR of U87MG/DDP, and that CIK‑induced apoptosis of U87MG/DDP was associated with the inhibition of Akt/NF‑κB. These findings suggested that treatment with CIK may be an effective method to enhance the sensitivity of patients with glioma to chemotherapy.

Novel isatin derivatives of podophyllotoxin: synthesis and cytotoxic evaluation against human leukaemia cancer cells as potent anti-MDR agents

Compound8cexhibited cytotoxicity at nanomolar range; induced G2/M cell cycle arrest accompanied by apoptosis and down-regulated the levels of Pgp, MRP-1 and GST-π.