title: Maackia amurensis agglutinin enhances paclitaxel induced cytotoxicity in cultured non-small cell lung cancer cells.
abstract: Maackia amurensis agglutinin (MAA) is gaining recognition as the potential diagnostic agent for cancer. Previous studies from our laboratory have demonstrated that this lectin could interact specifically with the cells and biopsy samples of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) origin but not with normal lung fibroblast cells. Moreover, this lectin was also found to induce apoptosis in NSCLC cells. Further, the biological activity of this lectin was shown to survive gastrointestinal proteolysis and inhibit malignant cell growth and tumorigenesis in mice model of melanoma thereby indicating the therapeutic potential of this lectin. Paclitaxel is one of the widely used traditional chemotherapeutic drugs for treatment of NSCLC but it exerts side-effects on normal healthy cells too. Studies have revealed that lectins have potential to act as an adjuvant chemotherapeutic agent in cancer of different origin. Thus, in the present study, an attempt was made to assess the chemo-adjuvant role of MAA in three types of NSCLC cell lines [adenocarcinoma cell line (A549), squamous cell carcinoma cell line (NCI-H520) and large cell carcinoma cell line (NCI-H460)]. We have observed that the non-cytotoxic concentration of this lectin was able to enhance the cytotoxic activity of Paclitaxel even at low dose by inducing apoptosis through intrinsic/mitochondrial pathway in all the three types of NSCLC cell lines, although the involvement of extrinsic pathway of apoptosis in case of NCI-H460 cell line could not be ruled out. Further, this lectin was also found to augment the chemo-preventive activity of this drug by arresting cells in G2-M phase of the cell cycle. Collectively, our results have suggested that Maackia amurensis agglutinin may have the potential to be used as adjuvant chemotherapeutic agent in case of NSCLC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine and Biotechnology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh 160012, India. Electronic address: rchhetra@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rakhee
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chhetra Lalli
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine and Biotechnology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh 160012, India. Electronic address: kiranjeet.kaur25@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kiranjeet
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaur
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine and Biotechnology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh 160012, India. Electronic address: shashankddsn@live.in.
authors.forename: Shashank
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dadsena
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine and Biotechnology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh 160012, India. Electronic address: superoxide@sify.com.
authors.forename: Anuradha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chakraborti
authors.affiliation: Department of Cytology and Gynaecological Pathology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh 160012, India. Electronic address: drsradhika@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Radhika
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Srinivasan
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine and Biotechnology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh 160012, India. Electronic address: sujataghosh12@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sujata
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghosh
mesh_terms: D000373:Agglutinins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000473:pathology*; D059447:Cell Cycle Checkpoints / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004357:Drug Synergism; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D029901:Maackia / Q000737:chemistry*; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / Q000187:drug effects; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000494:pharmacology*; D037121:Plant Lectins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000373:Agglutinins; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D037121:Plant Lectins; C043696:jacalin; D017239:Paclitaxel
keywords: Chemo-adjuvant; Cytotoxicity; Maackia amurensis agglutinin; Non-small cell lung cancer; Paclitaxel