title: Combination of paclitaxel and radiation: genotoxicity in vitro in four mammalian cell lines.
abstract: Paclitaxel is an antimicrotubular agent that blocks the cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. Due to this action, it is presumed that this drug could function as a radiation sensitizer. We studied the genotoxic effects of a combination of paclitaxel and radiation in four mammalian cell lines in the micronucleus assay. The results do not show a clear radiation-sensitizing effect. In the three cell lines, L5178Y, V79 and HeLa, the micronucleus frequencies varied around a theoretical additive effect of the single treatments (paclitaxel or radiation alone). Only the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 showed consistently lower than additive micronucleus frequencies, although the deviation was not significant. Overall, it remains inconclusive whether paclitaxel exerts a radiosensitizing effect and, if so, whether this effect depends on the cell type or other characteristics of tumor biology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Würzburg, Germany. hnok187@mail.uni-wuerzburg.de
authors.forename: V K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Preisler
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wück
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stopper
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000528:radiation effects; D002460:Cell Line; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D006801:Humans; D015162:Micronucleus Tests; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011838:Radiation-Sensitizing Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D011838:Radiation-Sensitizing Agents; D017239:Paclitaxel