title: In vitro evaluation of schedule-dependent interactions between docetaxel and doxorubicin against human breast and ovarian cancer cells.
abstract: Docetaxel, a novel member of the taxoid family, has shown greater potency than paclitaxel in the treatment of advanced breast cancer and certain other solid tumors. The promising clinical activity of docetaxel has also promoted considerable interest in combining this drug with other antitumor agents. In this study, we assessed the cytotoxic interaction between docetaxel and doxorubicin administered at various schedules to human breast and ovarian cancer cells. Through a series of in vitro assays including DNA fragmentation analyses, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assays, and flow cytometric analyses, we found that the antagonistic interaction occurred when tumor cells were exposed to the two drugs simultaneously or exposed to doxorubicin before docetaxel. However, no antagonism was observed when docetaxel was added before doxorubicin. Further analyses demonstrated that doxorubicin could interfere with the cytotoxic effect of docetaxel on both mitotic arrest and apoptotic cell death. In addition, biochemical examinations revealed that docetaxel could induce phosphorylation of both bcl-2 and c-raf-1, but these changes were inhibited when tumor cells were pretreated or simultaneously treated with doxorubicin. These results indicate that the interaction between docetaxel and doxorubicin is highly schedule dependent. Exposure of tumor cells to doxorubicin before docetaxel could result in pronounced antagonism. The optimal schedule for this combination might be sequential exposure to docetaxel followed by doxorubicin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Y Z
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fan
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D053938:DNA Fragmentation / Q000187:drug effects; D000077143:Docetaxel; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008938:Mitosis / Q000187:drug effects; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf / Q000378:metabolism; D043823:Taxoids; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel; D004317:Doxorubicin; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; D017239:Paclitaxel