Drug-resistant Tumor Growth Research Articles

Apoptosis induction and inhibition of drug resistant tumor growth in vivo involving daunorubicin-loaded graphene–gold composites

Daunorubicin (DNR) loaded graphene-gold nanocomposites offer a novel strategy for inducing apoptosis in drug resistant leukemia cells (K562/A02; KA). In vitro and in vivo investigations on xenografted tumors in KA nude mice demonstrate that the combination of monoclonal P-glycoprotein (P-gp) antibodies and DNR anticancer drug loaded on graphene-gold nanocomposites (GGN) is an efficient drug delivery vector, with remarkable targeting and binding properties towards drug resistant KA cell lines, and induces apoptosis of KA cells and inhibits tumor growth in KA nude mice. Cellular treatment with DNR-loaded GGN remarkably reduced drug resistant-related P-gp expression and activated apoptosis-related caspase protein expression in KA cells. Cell apoptosis provoked in vitro by such nanocomposites corresponds to a rapid induction of active caspase 8,3 activities and stimulation of poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) proteolytic cleavage. In vivo studies indicate that DNR-loaded GGN nanocomposites effectively overcome the inhibition of drug resistant leukemia cell-induced tumor growth in KA nude mice. This nanocomposite raises the possibility of modulating apoptosis in cancer cells, and of inhibiting tumor growth, showing that nanocomposites of this kind have promising applications in efficient multifunctional therapy.

Neosis – a paradigm of self-renewal in cancer

We recently described a novel form of cell division termed neosis, which appears to be the mode of escape of cells from senescence and is involved in the neoplastic transformation and progression of tumors (Cancer Biol & Therap 2004;3:207-18). Neosis is a parasexual somatic reduction division and is characterized by (1) DNA damage-induced senescence/mitotic crisis and polyploidization, (2) followed by production of aneuploid daughter cells via nuclear budding, (3) asymmetric cytokinesis and cellularization conferring extended, but, limited mitotic life span to the offspring, and (4) is repeated several times during tumor growth. The immediate neotic progeny are termed the Raju cells, which seem to transiently display stem cell properties. The Raju cells immediately undergo symmetric mitotic division and become mature tumor cells. Exposure of tumor cells to genotoxic agents yields neosis-derived Raju cell progenies that are resistant to genotoxins, thus contributing to the recurrence of drug-resistant tumor growth. Similar events have been described in the literature under different names through several decades, but have been neglected due to the lack of appreciation of the significance of this process in cancer biology. Here we review and interpret the literature in the light of our observations and the recent advances in self-renewal in cancer. Neosis paradigm of self-renewal of cancer growth is consistent with the telomere attrition, aging and origin of cancer cells after reactivation of telomerase, and constitutes an alternative to the cancer stem cell hypothesis. We summarize the arguments favoring Raju cells and not cancer stem cells, as the source of self-renewal in cancer and present a comprehensive hypothesis of carcinogenesis, encompassing various aspects of cancer biology including senescence, tumor suppressor genes, oncogenes, cell cycle checkpoints, genomic instability, polyploidy and aneuploidy, natural selection, apoptosis, endoapoptosis, development of resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy leading tumor progression into malignancy.

Osteoblast-derived survival factors protect PC-3 human prostate cancer cells from adriamycin apoptosis

Objectives. Hormone-independent and cytotoxic drug-resistant tumor growth in osteoblastic metastases defines poor survival in patients with advanced prostate cancer. Therefore, we analyzed the ability of human osteoblast-like cells (MG-63 cells) and MG-63 conditioned media (MG-63 CM) to protect PC-3 human prostate cancer cells from adriamycin cytotoxicity in vitro. Methods. Adriamycin cytotoxicity was assessed in MG-63 osteoblast-like and PC-3 prostate cancer monolayer and three-dimensional collagen coculture systems using the DNA content and trypan blue exclusion assays, analysis of indexes of cell cycle by flow cytometry, determination of DNA fragmentation on simple agarose gel and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, and immunocytochemistry. Results. Adriamycin (100 nM) arrested both the PC-3 and MG-63 cells at the G2/M phase in the cell cycle but induced apoptosis only in PC-3 cells, as assessed by flow cytometry, trypan blue exclusion, and agarose gel. Optimal doses of MG-63 CM (50 μg/mL), insulin-like growth factor I (50 ng/mL), and transforming growth factor-beta-1 (25 ng/mL), as determined by DNA content assay, partially neutralized the adriamycin cytotoxicity of PC-3 cells detected by flow cytometry and trypan blue exclusion. In addition, MG-63 cells rescued PC-3 cells from adriamycin apoptosis in the three-dimensional type I collagen gel coculture system, as analyzed by TUNEL assay. Conclusions. These data suggest that osteoblast-like cells and osteoblast-derived growth factors can optimize survival of metastatic prostate cancer cells, thereby helping to develop cytotoxic drug-resistant growth in vitro.