title: [Experimental study of combination therapy against human glioma xenograft by differentiation-inducing agent and cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drug].
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Brain Tumor Research Laboratory, Second Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University, Suzhou 215004, P. R. China. szqhdnah@pub.sz.jsinfo.net
authors.forename: Ming-gang
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Zhi-fang
authors.initials: ZF
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lan
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D010654:Phenylbutyrates; D002330:Carmustine