Resveratrol induces cell-cycle disruption and apoptosis in chemoresistant B16 melanoma.

Resveratrol, a naturally occurring polyphenol, has been shown to possess chemopreventive activities. In this study, we show that resveratrol (0-500 microM) inhibits the growth of a doxorubicin-resistant B16 melanoma cell subline (B16/DOX) (IC(50) = 25 microM after 72 h, P < 0.05).

In vivo anti-melanoma activities of the Melan-A/MART-1(101-115) T CD4+ cell peptide.

Malignant melanoma causes significant health problems. The identification of tumour-associated antigens has led to novel approaches to increase T cell mediated anti-tumour immune response. Melan-A/MART-1 has been use as target antigen for several T cell based immunotherapeutic treatments.

Enhanced immune response induced by BSA loaded in hydroxyethylstarch microparticles.

Microparticles and nanoparticles represent promising carriers for the in vivo delivery of peptides, proteins or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). In this study, new hydroxyethylstarch (HES) microparticles were obtained by interfacial cross-linking with terephtaloyl chloride. These microparticles exhibit the characteristics required to improve antigen release and presentation to antigen presentating cells compared to free antigens.

Immunization with liposome-anchored pegylated peptides modulates doxorubicin sensitivity in P-glycoprotein-expressing P388 cells.

The clinical use of chemotherapy in cancer treatment is limited by the occurrence of multidrug resistance (MDR) associated with the overexpression of membrane transporters, one of the best known is P-glycoprotein (Pgp), that actively expels drugs out of tumor cells. To overcome Pgp-mediated MDR, synthetic peptides corresponding to fragments from extracellular loops 1, 2 and 4 of the murine Pgp were coupled to polyethylene glycol-distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine and inserted into empty or monophosphoryl lipid A-containing liposomes. This formulation elicited specific antibodies which blocked Pgp-mediated efflux of doxorubicin, resulting in increased intracellular drug accumulation and subsequent potentiation of the cytotoxic effect of doxorubicin on multidrug-resistant P388 (P388R) cells.

Induction of autoantibodies to murine P-glycoprotein: consequences on drug sensitivity in MDR cancer cells and on the expression of mdr genes in organs.

Overexpression of the 170 kDa plasma membrane P-glycoprotein (P-gp) represents the most common MDR mechanism in chemotherapy. In this work, specific autoantibodies to fragments from extracellular loops 1, 2, and 4 of the murine MDR1 P-gp were elicited in mice using synthetic palmitoylated peptides reconstituted in liposomes and alum. The highest IgG level was observed after the third immunization and the immune response against lipopeptides was still detected more than 200 days after immunizations.