Harmine combined with paclitaxel inhibits tumor proliferation and induces apoptosis through down-regulation of cyclooxygenase-2 expression in gastric cancer

作者：Xiao-Juan Yu, Kun Sun, Xiao-He Tang, Cun-Jin Zhou, Hui Sun, Zhe Yan, Ling Fang, WU Hong-wen, Yi-Kui Xie, Bin Gu · 发表于：Oncology Letters · 年份：2016 · DOI：10.3892/ol.2016.4696 · 被引用次数：23 · 研究领域：Synthesis and bioactivity of alkaloids、Synthesis of β-Lactam Compounds、Phytochemical compounds biological activities

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) serves an important role in the carcinogenesis and progression of gastric cancer. Harmine (HM) and paclitaxel (PTX) are reported as promising drug candidates for cancer therapy, but whether a synergistic anti-tumor effect of HM combined with PTX exists in human gastric cancer remains unknown. The present study evaluated the effects of HM and/or PTX on cell proliferation and apoptosis in a gastric cancer cell line, SGC-7901. HM and PTX inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Both HM and PTX alone induced apoptosis in gastric cancer cells. The combination of HM and PTX exerted synergistic effects on proliferation inhibition and apoptosis induction in SGC-7901 cells, with down-regulation of COX-2, PCNA and Bcl-2 and up-regulation of Bax expression. The results indicated that combination chemotherapy using HM with PTX exerts an anti-tumor effect for treating gastric cancer. The combination of the two drugs inhibits gastric cancer development more effectively than each drug alone through down-regulation of COX-2 expression.