Search results for "Drug resistance"

Docetaxel plus prednisone in patients with metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer: An Italian clinical experience

2011

Aims and Background: We investigated the efficacy of docetaxel plus prednisone in Italian patients with metastatic hormone- refractory prostate cancer (mHRPC). Methods: Twenty four patients with mHRPC received docetaxel 75 mg/m2 every 3 weeks plus prednisone 5 mg twice daily for up to six cycles. The primary endpoint was efficacy measured by a reduction in serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels and measurable disease. Evaluation of toxicity, quality of life and reduction of pain were secondary endpoints. Results: PSA response was seen in 18 patients (75%). We observed a partial response in 2 patients (8.3%), stable disease in 10 patients (41.7%), and disease progression in 12 patients…

Cancer relapse under chemotherapy: why TLR2/4 receptor agonists can help.

2007

Liver or lung metastases usually relapse under chemotherapy. Such life-threatening condition urgently needs new, systemic anticancer compounds, with original and efficient mechanisms of action. In B16 melanoma mice treated with cyclophosphamide, D'Agostini et al. [D'Agostini, C., Pica, F., Febbraro, G., Grelli, S., Chiavaroli, C., Garaci, E., 2005. Antitumour effect of OM-174 and Cyclophosphamide on murine B16 melanoma in different experimental conditions. Int. Immunopharmacol. 5, 1205-1212.] recently found that OM-174, a chemically defined Toll-like receptor(TLR)2/4 agonist, reduces tumor progression and prolongs survival. Here we review 149 articles concerning molecular mechanisms of TLR2…

Induction of apoptosis by the adenosine derivative IB-MECA in parental or multidrug-resistant HL-60 leukemia cells: possible relationship to the effe…

2004

<i>Background:</i> The effects of the A<sub>3</sub> adenosine receptor (A<sub>3</sub>AR) agonist IB-MECA were examined in HL-60 leukemia and in its multidrug-resistant variant HL-60R cells. <i>Methods:</i> Cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTS assays and apoptosis by flow cytometry analyses of DNA fragmentation and phosphatidylserine exposure. The mRNAs of A<sub>3</sub>AR and inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) were determined by RT-PCR. <i>Results:</i> A<sub>3</sub>AR expression was similar in HL-60 and HL-60R cells. At ≧100 µ<i>M</i>, IB-MECA exhibited strong cytotoxic and apoptotic effects in H…

Karyotype Abnormalities in a Variant Chinese Hamster Cell Line Resistant to Methyl Methanesulphonate

2004

A variant cell population, isolated from V79-CI 3 Chinese hamster cells after two consecutive treatments with methyl methanesulphonate (MMS), was found to be highly resistant to killing by this alkylating agent. The resistant cell line was cytogenetically characterized both by the presence of a stable translocation involving metacentric chromosome 2 and acrocentric chromosome 6 and by a supernumerary chromosome originated by the duplication of a small telocentric chromosome. This cell population also showed a transient transformed phenotype, seen as formation of transformed foci containing cells with high chromosomes counts and multiple chromosomal aberrations. As MMS-resistance and karyoty…

Primary mouse fibroblasts deficient for c-Fos, p53 or for both proteins are hypersensitive to UV light and alkylating agent-induced chromosomal break…

2000

The important regulatory proteins, c-Fos and p53 are induced by exposure of cells to a variety of DNA damaging agents. To investigate their role in cellular defense against genotoxic compounds, we comparatively analysed chromosomal aberrations and apoptosis induced by ultraviolet (UV-C) light and the potent alkylating agent methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) in primary diploid mouse fibroblasts knockout for either c-Fos or p53, or double knockout for both genes. We show that c-Fos and p53 deficient fibroblasts are more sensitive than the corresponding wild-type cells as to the induction of chromosomal aberrations and apoptosis. Double knockout fibroblasts lacking both c-Fos and p53 are viable an…

Irreversible Inhibition of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Activity by 3-Aminopropanamides

2012

Irreversible epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors contain a reactive warhead which covalently interacts with a conserved cysteine residue in the kinase domain. The acrylamide fragment, a commonly employed warhead, effectively alkylates Cys797 of EGFR, but its reactivity can cause rapid metabolic deactivation or nonspecific reactions with off-targets. We describe here a new series of irreversible inhibitors containing a 3-aminopropanamide linked in position 6 to 4-anilinoquinazoline or 4-anilinoquinoline-3- carbonitrile driving portions. Some of these compounds proved to be as efficient as their acrylamide analogues in inhibiting EGFR-TK (TK = tyrosine kinase) autophosphorylati…

Resistance of p53 knockout cells to doxorubicin is related to reduced formation of DNA strand breaks rather than impaired apoptotic signaling

2003

The anthracycline doxorubicin (adriamycin) is an important chemotherapeutic agent used in the treatment of solid epithelial and mesenchymal tumors as well as leukemias. A variety of mechanisms has been proposed to be involved in doxorubicin-induced cytotoxicity such as DNA intercalation, oxidative stress, DNA strand breakage by inhibition of topoisomerase II, activation of death receptors, and altered p53 expression. Concerning doxorubicin resistance and p53 status data reported are contradictory. Here, we show that mouse fibroblasts deficient in p53 (p53(-/-)) are more resistant to doxorubicin than p53 wild-type (p53 wt) cells. This is in contrast to other genotoxic agents (UV-light, alkyl…

Effect of extra virgin olive oli phenols on HL60 cell lines sensitive and resistant to anthracyclines

2009

Antiretroviral genotypic resistance in plasma RNA and whole blood DNA in HIV-1 infected patients failing HAART

2008

The extent to which HIV-1 proviral DNA mutations cause clinically relevant antiretroviral resistance is still controversial. Paired plasma HIV-1 RNA and whole blood DNA were compared in patients failing HAART to investigate if the additional knowledge of archived mutations could improve the selection of potentially active drugs. Seventy-three HIV-1-infected patients with first/second HAART failure were studied before starting a new regimen based on RNA genotyping. Follow-up data after a 12-week therapy were available. DNA genotyping was retrospectively performed on stored whole blood samples and mutational profiles were compared to those from RNA. The mean number of IAS pol mutations was si…

Antibiotic Resistance of Gram Negatives isolates from loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the central Mediterranean Sea

2009

Previous studies on fish and marine mammals support the hypothesis that marine species harbor antibiotic resistance and therefore may serve as reservoirs for anti biotic-resistance genetic determinants. The aim of this study was to assess the resistance to antimicrobial agents of Gram negative strains isolated from loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Oral and cloacal swabs from 19 live-stranded loggerhead sea turtles, with hooks fixed into the gut, were analyzed. The antimicrobial resistance of the isolates to 31 antibiotics was assessed using the disk-diffusion method. Conventional biochemical tests identified Citrobacter spp., Proteus spp., Enterobacter spp., Escherichia spp., Provi…