The combination of rAAV-anti EGFR with gemcitabine and radiation in pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Objective EGFR targeted therapy mediated by adeno-associated virus is a promising way to treat pancreatic cancer.This study aimed to assess the feasibility and activity of combining rAAV-anti EGFR,gemcitabine,and radiation in pancreatic cancer cells.Methods Aspc-1 human pancreatic carcinoma cells were divided into several groups,in vitro and in vivo,which were respectively exposed to gemcitabine alone,radiation alone,rAAV-anti EGFR alone,the combination of rAAV-anti EGFR with gemcitabine,the combination of rAAV-anti EGFR with radiation,and the combination of all three agents.The pancreatic cancer tumor growth and apoptotic rate were measured.Results The apoptotic rate was higher in cells treated with a single or combination of agents compared to the negative control (P＜0.05).The combination of rAAV-EGFR,gemcitabine,and radiation produced the highest induction of apoptosis compared to a single agent alone (P ＜ 0.05).Treatment with rAAV-anti EGFR greatly inhibited growth in the tumor xenografts (P＜0.05),and a synergistic effect of rAAV-anti EGFR,gemcitabine,and radiation was found.The number of tissue cancer cells that expressed cleaved caspase-3 after treatment with rAAV EGFR was more than that of the control group (P＜0.05).The combined treatment of rAAV-anti EGFR,gemcitabine,and radiation induced the highest numbers of cells expressing cleaved caspase-3 compared to that with a single agent alone (P＜0.05).Conclusions The rAAV-anti EGFR therapy in combination with chemotherapy and radiation therapy demonstrated a greater efficacy over therapy with a single agent alone.rAAV-anti EGFR increased the efficacy of gemcitabine and radiation in the treatment of pancreatic cancer cells. Key words: Pancreatic neoplasms; Epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) ; Gene therapy; Radiotherapy; Drug therapy