title: Tumor growth inhibition of metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines by low dose of arsenic trioxide via alteration of cell cycle progression and induction of apoptosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although arsenic trioxide (ATO) has displayed anticancer activity against primary nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), its efficacy in metastatic NPC deserved further investigation because the biological/therapeutic difference in cancer cells probably exists between primary and distant sites.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two human metastatic NPC cell lines (NPC-BM1 and NPC-BM2) were investigated. We measured cellular proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptotic extent of BM1 and BM2 cells treated with ATO in vitro. Furthermore, we evaluated the tumor growth after ATO treatment in vivo.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Low-dose ATO treatment is sufficient to induce an antiproliferative effect, alter the cell cycle, and increase apoptosis in BM1 and BM2 cells. BM1 tumor growth in a xenograft model with low-dose and short-schedule (1 mg/kg/day, intraperitoneal injection for 5 consecutive days) of ATO treatment significantly slowed in vivo.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ATO at low dose seems to be an encouraging schedule for palliative treatment of metastatic NPC.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hemato-oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung & Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taiwan, Providence of China. yehtyng@gmail.com
authors.forename: Kun-Yun
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: John W-C
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Ying-Ying
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Cheng-Hsu
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hung-Ming
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D000077237:Arsenic Trioxide; D001152:Arsenicals / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D010087:Oxides / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001152:Arsenicals; D010087:Oxides; D053148:Caspase 3; D000077237:Arsenic Trioxide