Sensitivity of soft tissue sarcoma cell lines to chemotherapeutic agents: Identification of ecteinascidin-743 as a potent cytotoxic agent Journal Article


Authors: Li, W. W.; Takahashi, N.; Jhanwar, S.; Cordon-Cardo, C.; Elisseyeff, Y.; Jimeno, J.; Faircloth, G.; Bertino, J. R.
Article Title: Sensitivity of soft tissue sarcoma cell lines to chemotherapeutic agents: Identification of ecteinascidin-743 as a potent cytotoxic agent
Abstract: The cytotoxic effects of ecteinascidin-743(ET-743), a novel marine natural product, were evaluated and compared with that of clinically used anticancer agents methotrexate, doxorubicin, etoposide, and paclitaxel in eight human soft tissue sarcoma (STS) cell lines. HT-1080, a fibrosarcoma cell line, and HS-42, a malignant mesodermal cell line, were the most sensitive of the cell lines to methotrexate, doxorubicin, etoposide, and paclitaxel. Other cell lines (IC50s) varied considerably and were more resistant to these agents. ET-743 was more potent than any of these agents, with IC50s in the pM range in all of the cell lines. Cytotoxicity of ET-743 was dose- and time-related (4-72 h exposure). Cytotoxic concentrations of ET-743 produced a S/G2 block in all of the cell lines tested. Three colon adenocarcinoma cell lines, HCT-8, HT-29, and HCT-116, and one breast cancer cell line, MCF-7, were 1-2 logs less sensitive to ET-743 than the STS cell lines. Cell lines were also characterized as to expression of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes to attempt to correlate sensitivity of these cell lines to ET-743 and other chemotherapeutic agents. All of the cell lines except M8805, a malignant fibrous histiocytoma cell line, had mutations in p53 and/or overexpressed the MDM2 protein. Only HS-18, a liposarcoma cell line, lacked expression of the retinoblastoma protein. None of the cell lines had detectable expression of P-glycoprotein as measured by immunohistochemistry. ET-743 is an extremely potent cytotoxic agent against human STS cell lines and is being evaluated as an antitumor agent in this disease.
Keywords: cancer chemotherapy; human cell; cytotoxic agent; doxorubicin; antineoplastic agents; paclitaxel; methotrexate; sensitivity and specificity; cell survival; cell cycle; etoposide; antineoplastic activity; cytotoxicity; drug potency; dose-response relationship, drug; tumor cells, cultured; sarcoma; blotting, western; soft tissue sarcoma; tumor suppressor protein p53; trabectedin; dermatofibroma; inhibitory concentration 50; retinoblastoma protein; proto-oncogene proteins c-bcl-2; p-glycoprotein; dioxoles; isoquinolines; tetrahydroisoquinolines; humans; human; priority journal; article
Journal Title: Clinical Cancer Research
Volume: 7
Issue: 9
ISSN: 1078-0432
Publisher: American Association for Cancer Research  
Date Published: 2001-09-01
Start Page: 2908
End Page: 2911
Language: English
PUBMED: 11555609
PROVIDER: scopus
DOI/URL:
Notes: Export Date: 21 May 2015 -- Source: Scopus
Citation Impact
MSK Authors
  1. Weiwei Li
    63 Li
  2. Joseph Bertino
    363 Bertino
  3. Suresh C Jhanwar
    293 Jhanwar