Growth and Chemosensitivity of Gastric Adenocarcinoma and Non-Malignant Cell Lines in Response to Novel Anti-Cancer Drug Combinations.

BACKGROUND

To design novel polychemotherapy regimens for gastric adenocarcinoma therapy with wider therapeutic windows using a novel duplex drug (D-D).

METHODS

Two gastric adenocarcinoma (MKN-45 and 23132/87) and 2 non-malignant (NHDF and CCL-241) cell lines were treated with different drug regimens that included different doses of the standard triple-drug combination epirubicin (E) + cisplatin (C) + 5-fluorouracil (5-FU, F), i.e. ECF, and a new D-D that combined 2'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (5FdU) and 3'ethinylcytidine. The cells were cultured for 14 days and the effect of the drug combinations was evaluated using CASY cell counting technology.

RESULTS

Overall growth inhibition of the cell lines with ECF was not cancer cell line-specific. Replacing 5-FU in ECF with a D-D resulted in greater growth inhibition of cancer cells than of the non-malignant cell lines and the inversion of the chemosensitivity of MKN-45 and 23132/87 cells. The type and quantity of the combined drug regimen determined the cytotoxicity and chemosensitivity of the cell lines.

CONCLUSION

The cytotoxicity and tumour-cell specificity of standard single drugs can be markedly changed and determined using multidrug combinations that include D-Ds.