Abstract:

Cisplatin (CDDP), a platinum-containing drug, has been widely used in the therapy of many types of cancers today. However, the side effects of CDDP have limited its clinical application. Butaselen (BS), a TrxR inhibitor designed by our group, has shown anti-tumor effects in vivo and in vitro. In this study, we investigated the combinatory effects of BS and CDDP on BEL-7402 cells, LoVo cells, HeLa cells and A549 cells. We observed synergistic effects when BS and CDDP were used in combination, especially in BEL-7402 cells. Apoptosis analysis also revealed that the combination treatment of BS and CDDP (1:1) for 48 h induced higher apoptotic effects in BEL-7402 cells. A further study in BEL-7402 cells showed that the synergistic effect might be mediated by the sharp reduction of ratio of Bcl-2/Bax protein. Taken together, the combination of CDDP and BS might be of great potential for chemotherapy.

Key words: Butaselen, Cisplatin, Synergistic effect, Bcl-2, Bax