New drug combination holds potential for thoracic cancer
A combination of valproic acid and UCN-01 — an experimental anticancer drug — has the potential to be developed into a targeted therapy for thoracic cancer, according to data published in the British
Journal of Cancer this week (2006;94:1436).
US researchers aimed to investigate whether combining valproic acid,
a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACI) with weak anticancer properties,
with UCN-01, a kinase inhibitor that has already undergone phase I trials
as an anticancer agent, would enhance apoptosis in cultured thoracic
cancer cells.
Minimal death (<20 per cent) was observed in cells treated with either
valproic acid alone or UCN-01 alone, whereas 60–90 per cent of
cells underwent apoptosis when the two drugs were combined.
The researchers suggest that the chemosensitising effect of UCN-01 on
valproic acid-treated cells is likely to be secondary to its effect on
down regulation of essential signal transduction pathways that regulate
HDACI-induced apoptosis.
Principal investigator Dao Nguyen of the National Cancer Institute’s
Centre for Cancer Research, Maryland, commented: “We … strongly
believe that drug combinations including valproic acid will, in time,
reach the clinic and help cancer patients.” He added: “We
also need to continue searching for combinations of valproic acid and
other agents that achieve potent killing of cancer cells at lower concentrations.” |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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