Cisplatin and nifedipine: synergistic cytotoxicity against murine solid tumors and their metastases.

Calcium channel blockers of 3 chemical classes and calmodulin antagonists have recently been shown to enhance the cytotoxicity of conventional cancer chemotherapeutic agents. We tested the ability of nifedipine, a dihydropyridine class calcium channel blocker, to enhance the cytotoxicity of cisplatin, the current chemotherapeutic of choice against human head and neck tumors and testicular carcinoma. Both in vitro and in vivo, combination therapy with nifedipine and cisplatin resulted in synergistic inhibition of tumor cell proliferation, primary tumor growth and appearance of spontaneous pulmonary metastases. This combination also significantly increased the survival of mice bearing cisplatin-resistant tumors. This is the first indication that calcium channel blockers can enhance the cytotoxicity of cisplatin as well as the first demonstration that calcium channel blockers can enhance cytotoxicity of chemo-therapeutic agent against a solid tumor and its metastases.