Antitumor effects of specific cyclooxygenase inhibitors combined with chemotherapeutic agents on gastric cancer cells in vitro / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effects of two specific cyclooxygenase inhibitors (SCI), rofecoxib and celecoxib, combined with chemotherapeutic drugs 5-Fu, DDP and VP-16 on gastric cancer cell line BGC-823, and to evaluate whether specific cyclooxygenase inhibitors can be used as a synergetic agent in chemotherapy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The gastric cancer cell line BGC-823 cells were incubated for 48 hours with rofecoxib and celecoxib, 5-Fu, DDP and VP-16 (concentration gradient of 5-Fu, DDP and VP-16:1 microg/ml, 10 microg/ml and 100 microg/ml), or in combination, respectively. MTT working solution was added to each culture and calculated the survival rates of gastric cancer cells. Median-effect principle and Professor Jin's evaluation methods were applied to detect the interaction between the specific cyclooxygenase inhibitors and chemotherapeutic agents.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The inhibition rates of gastric cancer cells were 42.63% +/- 1.26% and 50.67% +/- 2.35% by treatment with 0.1 micromol/L rofecoxib and 50 micromol/L celecoxib, respectively. The inhibition rates of gastric cancer cells by treatment with 5-Fu, DDP and VP-16 at different concentrations (1 microg/ml, 10 microg/ml and 100 microg/ml) were 39.75% +/- 3.14%, 49.96% +/- 2.08%, 87.93% +/- 3.66%; 48.28% +/- 2.08%, 59.46% +/- 1.69%, 88.23% +/- 4.81%; and 29.23% +/- 3.27%, 49.34% +/- 3.75%, 79.24% +/- 2.44%, respectively. However, the inhibition rates showed a synergetic role while combined the two SCI (0.1 micromol/L rofecoxib and 50 micromol/L celecoxib) with chemotherapeutic agent at different concentrations (P <0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Both rofecoxib and celecoxib have an ability to suppress gastric cancer cells in vitro, and the synergetic role becomes evident when rofecoxib and celecoxib are combined with chemotherapeutic agents at different concentrations, which indicate that the two specific cyclooxygenase inhibitors may be used as a chemotherapeutic sensitizer.</p>

Proteomic analysis on metastasis-associated proteins of hepatocellular carcinoma tissues / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>A comparative proteomic approach was used to identify and analyze proteins relevant to metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Proteins extracted from 12 liver tumor tissue specimens (6 with metastases and 6 without) were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). Comparative analyses of 2-DE protein patterns between the two groups were done using computerized image analysis. Selected proteins exhibiting statistically significant alternations were identified by mass spectrometry. Immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and RT-PCR were performed to examine the expressions of the candidate proteins.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>16 proteins including HSP27, S100A11, CK18 were identified using mass spectrometry, which were related to cell mobility, signal transduction, and energy metabolism respectively. Of these, HSP27 was found to be uniquely over-expressed in 2-DE maps of all metastatic HCCs when compared to the non-metastatic HCC tissues. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting of HCC tissues confirmed this difference while RT-PCR did not.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>There are different proteins working together that affect the metastasis of HCCs. The overexpression of HSP27 may serve as a biomarker for early detection and therapeutic targets to the metastatic phenotype of HCC. The role of HSP27 in HCC metastasis warrants further investigation.</p>