title: Potentiation of the antitumoral activity of gemcitabine and paclitaxel in combination on human breast cancer cells.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antitumoral activity of different gemcitabine-based combination on an experimental model of human breast cancer, in order to identify the most effective treatment and to provide a rationale for clinical investigations. To this end, CG5 breast cancer cells were treated in vitro with gemcitabine followed by epirubicin, doxorubicin, docetaxel or paclitaxel. The reversed sequence was also investigated. Results, analyzed by multiple drug effect/combination index (CI) isobologram, demonstrated that the combination gemcitabine/paclitaxel was the most active showing synergism with a CI of about 0.5 in the two sequences employed. Moreover, the synergistic interaction of gemcitabine and paclitaxel was correlated to a block of the cells in the G0/G1 compartment of cell cycle and to an increase of apoptotic cells compared to each drug. Based on these evidences, the antitumoral efficacy of gemcitabine/paclitaxel combination has been studied in vivo. Mice bearing CG5 human breast xenografts treated with paclitaxel and gemcitabine in combination showed a significant higher inhibition of tumor growth (approximately 70%) compared to that with either agent alone (25%). In conclusion, this study suggests that paclitaxel is the most promising agent for combination protocols with gemcitabine and supports the use of gemcitabine/paclitaxel combination in the clinical management of advanced breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Experimental Chemotherapy Laboratory, Regina Elena Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy. zupi@ifo.it
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zupi
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scarsella
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: D'Angelo
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biroccio
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paoletti
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leonetti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D043823:Taxoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays; D000093542:Gemcitabine
chemical_list: D018943:Anthracyclines; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D043823:Taxoids; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D017239:Paclitaxel; D000093542:Gemcitabine