Clinical efficacy and mechanism of oxaliplatin in treating human gastric carcinoma

Targeting therapy with docetaxel thermosensitive nano-micelles of human gastric cancer xenografts in nude mice

AIM: To study the curative effects of docetaxel thermosensitive nano-micelles on human gastric cancer xenografts in nude mice.

METHODS: Human gastric cancer cell line BGC-823 was implanted into 48 nude mice. Different drugs were injected through the caudal vein in eight groups after establishment of the experimental model. Permanent temperature of the tumor was taken in the thermotherapy group. Tumor growth was monitored once every other day. Dynamic viewing and determining the rate of tumor regression in terms of tumor weight and volume were used to evaluate therapeutic efficacy. The side effect was evaluated through surveying all the condition and the relative variation in mouse body weight.

RESULTS: Tumor growth speed in the docetaxel thermosensitive nano-micelle thermotherapy group was significantly slower than that in the other groups. Tumor volume and weight regression in the docetaxel thermosensitive nano-micelle thermotherapy group were 81.5% and 85.4%, respectively, which were markedly higher than those of the docetaxel thermosensitive nano-micelle group (32.2% and 37.5%) and the docetaxel injection group (49.2% and 58.0%) (both P < 0.05). The drug side effects and toxicity of docetaxel thermosensitive nano-micelle thermotherapy were significantly less than those in the other groups.

CONCLUSION: Docetaxel thermosensitive nano-micelles show good inhibition of tumor growth, which indicates a favorable potential in clinical application.

Potassium antimonyl tartrate induces apoptosis in human gastric carcinoma cells

AIM: Potassium antimonyl tartrate (PAT), an antiparasitic agent, has rencently been shown to induce apoptosis of leukaemia cells. Its effects on human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells and possible mechanism were investigated in this study.

METHODS: The growth inhibition of cells induced by various concentrations of PAT in different time course was analyzed by using MTT assay. The nuclei were stained by Hoechst 33 258 and the morphologic changes were observed by fluorescence microscope. TUNEL staining, double-staining, and flow cytomery were used to detect apoptosis of cells.

RESULTS: Growth inhibitory rates of SGC-7901 cells by PAT were significantly different in dose-and time-dependent manners (analysis of variance, P < 0.01). Chromatin condensation and nuclear fragmentation were seen under fluorescence microscope in the cells treated with Hoechst 33 258, and apoptotic cells were also detected by flow cytometry and TUNEL staining.

CONCLUSION: PAT can induce the apoptosis of SGC-7901 cells, and PAT may be a promising apoptosis-inducer in gastric cancer therapy.