title: Docetaxel and gemcitabine activity in NSCLC cell lines and in primary cultures from human lung cancer.
abstract: The activity of the following drugs was investigated in two established NSCLC cell lines: docetaxel, gemcitabine, vinorelbine, paclitaxel, doxorubicin (0.01, 0.1, 1 microg ml(-1)), cisplatin, ifosfamide (1, 2, 3 microg ml(-1)) and carboplatin (2, 4, 6 microg ml(-1)). The cytotoxic activity was evaluated by the sulphorhodamine B assay. The two most active drugs, docetaxel and gemcitabine, used singly and in association, were investigated as a function of treatment schedule. The sequence docetaxel-->gemcitabine produced only a weak synergistic interaction in RAL but a strong synergism in CAEP cells. The synergistic interaction increased in both cell lines after a 48-h washout between the drug administrations. Flow cytometric analysis showed that in docetaxel-->gemcitabine sequence, docetaxel produced a block in G2/M phase and, after 48 h, provided gemcitabine with a large fraction of recovered synchronized cells in the G1/S boundary, which is the specific target phase for gemcitabine. Conversely, simultaneous treatment induced an antagonistic effect in both cell lines, and the sequential scheme gemcitabine-->docetaxel produced a weak synergistic effect only in RAL cells. Moreover, the synergistic interaction disappeared when washout periods of 24 or 48 h between two drug administrations were adopted. The synergistic activity of docetaxel-->48-h washout-->gemcitabine was confirmed in 11 of 14 primary cultures, which represents an important means of validating experimental results before translating them into clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Oncologia Medica, Ospedale GB Morgagni-L Pierantoni, Forlì, Italia.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zoli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ricotti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dal Susino
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barzanti
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Frassineti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Folli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tesei
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bacci
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Amadori
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000077143:Docetaxel; D004357:Drug Synergism; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D043823:Taxoids; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D000093542:Gemcitabine
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D043823:Taxoids; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D000077143:Docetaxel; D017239:Paclitaxel; D000093542:Gemcitabine