title: 4-methylumbelliferone, a hyaluronan synthase suppressor, enhances the anticancer activity of gemcitabine in human pancreatic cancer cells.
abstract: Hyaluronan (HA) is a ubiquitous, major component of the pericellular matrix and is necessary for various physiological processes. It plays a very important role in biological barriers. We previously reported that 4-methylumbelliferone (MU) inhibits HA synthesis and pericellular HA matrix formation in cultured human skin fibroblasts, Streptococcus equi FM100, and B16F10 melanoma cells. We hypothesized that MU-mediated inhibition of HA synthesis and pericellular HA matrix formation would increase the efficacy of anticancer drugs. We have already demonstrated in vitro, using a sandwich binding protein assay and a particle exclusion assay, that MU inhibits HA synthesis and formation of the pericellular HA matrix, respectively, in human KP1-NL pancreatic cancer cells. AlamarBlue assay revealed that the anticancer effect of gemcitabine in KP1-NL cells was increased by pretreatment with MU. In vivo simultaneous administration of MU and gemcitabine to tumor-bearing mice with severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID) decreased the size of the primary and metastatic tumors more than did gemcitabine alone. These data strongly suggest that a combination of MU and gemcitabine is effective against human pancreatic cancer cells. MU may have potential as a chemosensitizer and may provide us with a new anticancer strategy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Hirosaki University School of Medicine, 5 Zaifu-cho, Hirosaki, 036-8562, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakazawa
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoshihara
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kudo
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Morohashi
authors.forename: Ikuko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kakizaki
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kon
authors.forename: Keiichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takagaki
authors.forename: Mutsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sasaki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D004347:Drug Interactions; D006801:Humans; D006923:Hymecromone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D016513:Mice, SCID; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D000093542:Gemcitabine
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D006923:Hymecromone; D000093542:Gemcitabine