Low concentrations of the histone deacetylase inhibitor, depsipeptide, enhance the effects of gemcitabine and docetaxel in hormone refractory prostate cancer cells.

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) have been developed as a new type of drug for cancer treatment. In this study, we examine the augmentation efficacy of depsipeptide (FK228) in combination with gemcitabine (GEM) or docetaxel (DOC) in vitro and in vivo against hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). The anti-proliferative effects, cell cycle distribution and apoptotic status were assessed in HRPC DU145 cells treated with these agents.