Cross-reacting material 197, a heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor inhibitor, reverses the chemoresistance in human cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer.

Cross-reacting material 197 (CRM197), a specific HB-EGF inhibitor, has been proven to be a promising antitumor agent for ovarian cancer therapy. Our previous studies have shown that CRM197 has potent antitumor activity in human cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer. However, the relationship between CRM197 and the resistance to cisplatin remains unclear. Here, we report that CRM197 significantly reverses the resistance to cisplatin in cisplatin-resistant ovarian carcinoma cell line (A2780/CDDP). We established xenograft nude mice models with A2780 and A2780/CDDP cells. Notably, we observed that CRM197 suppresses the expression of HB-EGF and epidermal growth factor receptor in A2780/CDDP cells and xenografts harboring the overexpression of HB-EGF and epidermal growth factor receptor. Experiments conducted in vitro and in vivo suggest that CRM197 markedly downregulates the expression of excision repair cross-complementing group 1 (P = 0.002) and DNA repair capacity in A2780/CDDP tumor (P < 0.001) by inactivation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling, providing novel possible mechanisms for the ability of CRM197 to restore drug sensitivity. These results suggest that CRM197 as an HB-EGF inhibitor might be a cisplatin-chemosensitizing agent for the treatment of ovarian carcinoma with resistance to cisplatin.