[Experimental study of combination therapy against human glioma xenograft by differentiation-inducing agent and cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drug].
OBJECTIVE
Cytotoxic agent remains the main chemotherapeutic drug for glioma, although it has many limitations. It is not known whether differentiation-inducing agent can enhance antitumor efficiency of cytotoxic agent. This study was designed to investigate anti-tumor effects of differentiation-inducing agent in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drug against glioma.


METHODS
Poorly-differentiated human brain glioma xenografted nude mice were treated with carmustine(1, 3-bis-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea, BCNU) and sodium phenylbutyrate (SPB). The therapeutic effects were determined by measuring of tumor size, pathological changes, different phases of cell cycle of tumor cell proliferation, expression of differentiation antigen, and tumor cell apoptosis.


RESULTS
The therapeutic effects of SPB plus BCNU group were much better than that of SPB or BCNU group alone, which were proved by lower growth rate of the tumor, cellularity decreasing, appearance of astroid-like polyglonal cells, G0/G1 ratio increasing, upregulation of GFAP expression.


CONCLUSIONS
Combined application of SPB and BCNU can obviously inhibit proliferation of glioma, and promote differentiation of tumor cells.
Shi
Ming-gang
MG
Department of Neurosurgery, Brain Tumor Research Laboratory, Second Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University, Suzhou 215004, P. R. China. szqhdnah@pub.sz.jsinfo.net
Huang
Qiang
Q
Dong
Jun
J
Sun
Zhi-fang
ZF
Lan
Qing
Q
D000818:Animals; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002330:Carmustine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005910:Glioma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010654:Phenylbutyrates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D010654:Phenylbutyrates; D002330:Carmustine