The effect of Rad001 and ATO on activation of the excessive autophagy and apoptotic pathways in SKOV3 ovarian cancer / 实用医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the synergistic anticancer effect of ATO combined with Rad001 on human ovarian cancer cells in vitro and the underlying mechanisms. Methods SKOV3 cells were treated with Rad001, ATO and a combination of Rad001 and ATO, respectively. Cell relative luminescence units, viability, and combination index were tested. The apoptosis was quantified by Flow cytometry. Autophagy and apoptosis associated proteins were measured with immunoblotting. Results Significant decrease in live cell number were observed in cells treated with combination of Rad001 and ATO , compared with single compound treatment (P <0.05). Moreover, a higher rates of autophagy as well as apoptosis were observed in the combination treatment compared with single compound treatment (P < 0.05). Conclusions combination of Rad001 and ATO can result in synergistic cytotoxicity through activation of the excessive autophagy and apoptotic pathway.