[Killing effect of sequential Herceptin and adriamycin treatment on breast cancer cell line in vitro].
OBJECTIVE
To observe the killing effect of Herceptin and adriamycin sequentially applied on breast cancer cell line in vitro.


METHODS
BT-474 human breast cancer cells in exponential growth phase were treated with Herceptin alone, adriamycin alone and their sequential administration (Herceptin before adriamycin and vice versa), respectively. Under optical microscope, the morphological changes of the cells were observed before and after drug administration. The expression rate and mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of HER-2/neu and cell death rate were detected by flow cytometry.


RESULTS
Microscopically, the cells treated with different protocols all exhibited such changes as darkening and increase of cellular debris with irregular cell morphology. Flow cytometry revealed no significant difference in the expression rate of HER-2/neu in each group before and after treatment, but the MFI of HER-2/neu and death rate of the treated cells were significant different from those of the control group (P<0.05). The cell death rate of Herceptin-pretreated cells was significantly higher than that of adriamycin-pretreated ones (P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Herceptin pretreatment enhances the killing effect of adriamycin on breast cancer cell line BT-474, which provides experimental evidence for designing clinical sequential biochemotherapy of breast cancer.
Tan
Ke
K
Center of Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China. tk@nfhoc.com
Fan
Yi-xiang
YX
Miao
Jing-xia
JX
Lü
Cheng-wei
CW
Yan
Xiao
X
Luo
Rong-cheng
RC
D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000494:pharmacology; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000068878:Trastuzumab
D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004317:Doxorubicin; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D000068878:Trastuzumab; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human