<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<sec id="j_raon-2022-0009_s_005">
<h3>Background</h3>
<p>One of the new treatment options for unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer is electrochemotherapy (ECT), a local ablative therapy that potentiates the entry of chemotherapeutic drugs into the cells, by the application of an electric field to the tumor. Its feasibility and safety were demonstrated in preclinical and clinical studies; however, there is a lack of preclinical studies assessing the actions of different drugs used in ECT, their mechanisms and interactions with other target drugs that are used in clinical practice.</p>
</sec>
<sec id="j_raon-2022-0009_s_006">
<h3>Materials and methods</h3>
<p>The aim of the study was to determine the cytotoxicity of two chemotherapeutic drugs usually used in ECT (bleomycin and cisplatin) in the BxPC-3 human pancreatic carcinoma cell line and evaluate the interactions of ECT with the targeted drug sunitinib. First, the cytotoxicity of ECT using both chemotherapeutics was determined. In the next part, the interactions of ECT and sunitinib were evaluated through determination of combined cytotoxicity, sunitinib targets and kinetics of cell death.</p>
</sec>
<sec id="j_raon-2022-0009_s_007">
<h3>Results</h3>
<p>The results demonstrate that ECT is effective in pancreatic cancer cell line, especially when bleomycin is used, with the onset of cell death in the first hours after the treatment, reaching a plateau at 20 hours after the treatment. Furthermore, we provide the rationale for combining ECT with bleomycin and the targeted drug sunitinib to potentiate cytotoxicity. The combined treatment of sunitinib and ECT was synergistic for bleomycin only at the highest used concentration of bleomycin 0.14 μM, whereas with lower doses of bleomycin, this effect was not observed. The interaction of ECT and treatment with sunitinib was confirmed by course of the cell death, also indicating on synergism.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_raon-2022-0009_s_008">
<h3>Conclusions</h3>
<p>ECT and sunitinib combined treatment has clinical potential, and further studies are warranted.</p></sec></abstract>

Background
One of the new treatment options for unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer is electrochemotherapy (ECT), a local ablative therapy that potentiates the entry of chemotherapeutic drugs into the cells, by the application of an electric field to the tumor. Its feasibility and safety were demonstrated in preclinical and clinical studies; however, there is a lack of preclinical studies assessing the actions of different drugs used in ECT, their mechanisms and interactions with other target drugs that are used in clinical practice.


Materials and methods
The aim of the study was to determine the cytotoxicity of two chemotherapeutic drugs usually used in ECT (bleomycin and cisplatin) in the BxPC-3 human pancreatic carcinoma cell line and evaluate the interactions of ECT with the targeted drug sunitinib. First, the cytotoxicity of ECT using both chemotherapeutics was determined. In the next part, the interactions of ECT and sunitinib were evaluated through determination of combined cytotoxicity, sunitinib targets and kinetics of cell death.


Results
The results demonstrate that ECT is effective in pancreatic cancer cell line, especially when bleomycin is used, with the onset of cell death in the first hours after the treatment, reaching a plateau at 20 hours after the treatment. Furthermore, we provide the rationale for combining ECT with bleomycin and the targeted drug sunitinib to potentiate cytotoxicity. The combined treatment of sunitinib and ECT was synergistic for bleomycin only at the highest used concentration of bleomycin 0.14 μM, whereas with lower doses of bleomycin, this effect was not observed. The interaction of ECT and treatment with sunitinib was confirmed by course of the cell death, also indicating on synergism.

Conclusions
ECT and sunitinib combined treatment has clinical potential, and further studies are warranted.

Sunitinib potentiates the cytotoxic effect of electrochemotherapy in pancreatic carcinoma cells

Radiology and Oncology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Background
One of the new treatment options for unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer is electrochemotherapy (ECT), a local ablative therapy that...

Sunitinib potentiates the cytotoxic effect of electrochemotherapy in pancreatic carcinoma cells

Article Category: Research Article

Online veröffentlicht: 28. März 2022

Seitenbereich: 164 - 172

Eingereicht: 10. Feb. 2022

Akzeptiert: 02. März 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/raon-2022-0009

© 2022 Masa Bosnjak, Tanja Jesenko, Bostjan Markelc, Anja Cerovsek, Gregor Sersa, Maja Cemazar, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.