Antitumor effects of a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, meloxicam, alone and in combination with radiation and/or 5-fluorouracil in cultured tumor cells.

To ascertain whether meloxicam used in a clinical setting as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) warrants preclinical in vivo evaluation as an anticancer agent, we investigated its antitumor effects alone and in combination with radiation and/or 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in cultured cells. Seven cell lines were examined for cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein expression by immunoblot analysis, and the HeLaS3, SCCVII and EMT6 cell lines were selected, expressing relatively high, intermediate, and relatively low COX-2 levels, respectively. Antitumor effects were examined using a colony assay.

Histone deacetylase inhibitor, FK228, induces apoptosis and suppresses cell proliferation of human glioblastoma cells in vitro and in vivo.

We investigated the effects of FK228 on cell proliferation and apoptosis against human glioblastoma (GM) T98G, U251MG, and U87MG cells. Upon exposure to FK228, cell proliferation was inhibited, and apoptosis detected by the cleavage of CPP32 was induced. FK228 increased the expression levels of p21 (WAF-1) and of pro-apoptotic Bad protein in all GM cells.