Kombinationstherapien mit Suramin beim Pankreaskarzinom

Abstract

Suramin, a naphthyl urea derivative, inhibits growth of several tumours, among them ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma, but its use as a single therapeutic agent is problematic due to its toxicity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test the efficacy of a combination therapy of low dose suramin and docetaxel in pancreatic cancer. Rat ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells (DSL6A) were incubated in the presence of increasing concentrations of suramin (in µg/mL: 0; 5; 10; 100) or docetaxel (in µg/mL: 0; 0.003; 0.015; 0.03; 3) or a combination of both drugs. Cell proliferation and viability were assessed after 72 hours. Docetaxel as well as suramin inhibited cell proliferation and viability in a dose-dependent way (p < 0.01). The highest concentrations used as monotherapy inhibited cell growth by 74 % (suramin) and 95 % (docetaxel), respectively. A combination of both drugs was more effective than each of the single agents given alone. Therefore, one can conclude that the addition of low dose suramin (in itself without any relevant effect on cell proliferation) enhances docetaxel efficacy in vitro. Further studies using an orthotopic tumour model of rat ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma are necessary in order to confirm whether this combination therapy is of relevance in a preclinical therapeutic setting.