Synergistic anticancer effects of tetrandrine combined with doxorubicin or vincristine in vitro.
OBJECTIVE
To study the interaction between tetrandrine (Tet) and doxorubicin (Dox) or vincristine (Vin) against human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MCF-7/Dox or human nasopharyngeal cancer cell lines KB and KBV200 in vitro.


METHODS
Anticancer activities of a drug alone and a drug combination of Tet and Dox or Vin were determined by tetrazolium (MTT) method. The interaction between Tet and Dox or Vin was evaluated by both a value of a sum of fractional inhibitory concentration (SFIC) and an isobologram method.


RESULTS
The SFIC values of the three-different-ratio combinations between Tet and Dox ranged from 0.14 to 0.38 for MCF-7, and 0.10 to 0.29 for MCF-7/Dox; those of Tet-Vin combinations ranged from 0.21 to 0.37 for KB, and 0.32 to 0.63 for KBV200. All the SFIC values of the combination between Tet and Dox or Vin were less than 1.0 when the 3 ratios of the 2 drugs in combination were used, and the shapes of isobolic curves obtained from the combination were concave.


CONCLUSIONS
The interaction between Tet and Dox or Vin against the human cancer cells was markedly synergistic.
Sun
A X
AX
Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
Ye
Z G
ZG
Li
C Y
CY
Xue
B Y
BY
Li
L F
LF
Cao
X F
XF
Yang
Q
Q
Dai
B Q
BQ
D000470:Alkaloids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000494:pharmacology; D044182:Benzylisoquinolines; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D004357:Drug Synergism; D006801:Humans; D007624:KB Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects; D014750:Vincristine / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000470:Alkaloids; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D044182:Benzylisoquinolines; C009438:tetrandrine; D014750:Vincristine; D004317:Doxorubicin