Combination treatment strategies with a focus on rosiglitazone and adriamycin for insulin resistant liver cancer.

Insulin resistance promotes the occurrence of liver cancer and decreases its chemosensitivity. Rosiglitazone (ROSI), a thiazolidinedione insulin sensitiser, could be used for diabetes with insulin resistance and has been reported to show anticancer effects on human malignant cells. In this paper, we investigated the combination of ROSI and chemotherapeutics on the growth and metastasis of insulin-resistant hepatoma.

DHPAC, a novel microtubule depolymerizing agent, suppresses angiogenesis and vasculogenic mimicry formation of human non-small cell lung cancer.

Angiogenesis and vasculogenic mimicry (VM) are the main causes of tumor metastasis and recurrence. In this study, we investigated the antiangiogenesis and anti-VM formation of a novel microtubule depolymerizing agent, DHPAC, as well as combretastatin A4 (CA4, a combretastatin derivate) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), subsequently elucidating the underlying mechanisms. In human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), DHPAC could enter cells and inhibit proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis in the presence and absence of conditioned medium from H1299 cells.

Pantoprazole pretreatment elevates sensitivity to vincristine in drug-resistant oral epidermoid carcinoma in vitro and in vivo.

Resistance to chemotherapeutic agents is a major cause of treatment failure in patients with oral cancer. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), essentially H-K-ATPase inhibitors which are currently used in the treatment of acid related diseases, have demonstrated promising antitumor and chemo-sensitizing efficacy. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate whether pantoprazole (PPZ, one of PPIs) could increase the sensitivity of chemoresistant oral epidermoid carcinoma cells (KB/V) to vincristine (VCR) and elucidate the underlying action mechanism.

Role and regulation mechanism of Gal-3 in non-small cell lung cancer and its potential clinical therapeutic significance.

Galectin-3 (Gal-3), the only chimeric lectin of the galectin family, affects numerous biological processes and seems to be involved in different physiological and pathophysiological conditions, such as tumor development, invasion and metastasis as well as immune reactions. There is growing evidence to show that Gal-3 participates in the tumorigenesis, invasion and metastasis as well as tumor immunity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of Gal-3 involved in NSCLC development is avidly needed as the basis to identify novel therapeutic targets and develop new strategies for the treatment of NSCLC.

New insights into molecular mechanisms of rosiglitazone in monotherapy or combination therapy against cancers.

Rosiglitazone (ROSI), a member of thiazolidinediones (TZDs) which act as high-affinity agonists of the nuclear receptor peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ), is clinically used as an antidiabetic drug which could attenuate the insulin resistance associated with obesity, hypertension, and impaired glucose tolerance in humans. However, recent studies reported that ROSI had significant anticancer effects on various human malignant tumor cells. Mounting evidence indicated that ROSI could exert anticancer effects through PPARγ-dependent or PPARγ-independent ways.