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J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2005;130:125-130
© 2005 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery
General Thoracic Surgery |
a Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium
b Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium
c Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Received for publication April 16, 2004; revisions received July 2, 2004; accepted for publication July 13, 2004. * Address for reprints: Jeroen M. H. Hendriks, MD, PhD, Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, B-2650 Edegem (Antwerp), Belgium (Email: jeroen.hendriks{at}uza.be).
| Abstract |
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METHODS: In vitro, using the sulforhodamine B assay, CC531s cells were incubated with cisplatin, gemcitabine, or melphalan or with a combination of these drugs. One drug was added at concentrations causing 25% growth inhibition, whereas the second drug was added at variable concentrations. In vivo, left pulmonary metastases were induced in Wag/Rij rats by means of intravenous injection of CC531s adenocarcinoma cells. At day 7, rats underwent left isolated lung perfusion with gemcitabine (n = 7), cisplatin (n = 9), melphalan (n = 7), gemcitabine-cisplatin (n = 6), melphalan-gemcitabine (n = 6), and cisplatin-melphalan (n = 7). Death by means of metastatic disease was the end point. Survival and differences in survival were assessed by using Kaplan-Meier and log-rank testing.
RESULTS: In vitro synergistic activity was observed for melphalan-gemcitabine, whereas other combinations showed additive or antagonistic activity. In vivo treated rats lived longer compared with control animals (P < .0001). In isolated lung perfusion melphalan resulted in longer survival compared with gemcitabine (P = .0016) and cisplatin (P = .046). Isolated lung perfusion with melphalan-gemcitabine resulted in 67% survival of the rats after 90 days versus 0% in other groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Isolated lung perfusion monotherapy or combination therapy with gemcitabine, cisplatin, or melphalan resulted in significantly longer survival compared with that seen in control animals. Isolated lung perfusion combination therapy with melphalan-gemcitabine resulted in the best survival either in vitro or in vivo.
| Introduction |
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(TNF-
), melphalan (MN), cisplatin (Cis), fluorodeoxyuridine, and gemcitabine (GCB).
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Because of their different mechanisms of cytotoxicity, we studied the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of combinations of MN, GCB, and Cis for the treatment of pulmonary metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma in a rat model of ILuP.
| Material and Methods |
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CC531s cells were cultured in RPMI-1640 medium and supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (Invitrogen, Merelbeke, Belgium). Cultures were maintained in exponential growth in a humidified atmosphere at 37°C under 5% CO2/95% air.
Chemicals
Cis (Sigma, Bornem, Belgium) solutions were made in 0.9% NaCl and stored at 20°C. Solutions of 2',2'-difluorodeoxycytidine (Eli Lilly, Brussels, Belgium) were made in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; 2.7 mmol/L KCl, 136.9 mmol/L NaCl, 1.5 mmol/L KH2PO4, and 6.5 mmol/L Na2HPO4) and stored at 80°C. MN (Wellcome, Waterloo, Belgium) solutions were made in dimethyl sulfoxide/0.9% NaCl (1:1), stored at 80°C, and used for 1 month.
In vitro growth inhibition experiments
Cells were harvested from exponential-phase cultures by means of trypsinization, counted, and plated in 48-well plates. The seeding density was 600 cells per well to ensure exponential growth during the experiments. After plating and a 24-hour recovery period, cells were treated for 30 minutes with Cis alone, with GCB alone, or with MN alone or with a combination of 2 drugs: one drug was added at a concentration causing about 25% growth inhibition (IC25), whereas the other drug was added at variable concentrations. Each concentration was tested 6 times within the same experiment. After 30 minutes of incubation, cells were washed with drug-free medium. Four days after the start of treatment, cell survival was determined by using the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay.
The SRB assay was performed according to the method of Skehan and colleagues
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and Papazisis and associates,
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with minor modifications. Culture medium was aspirated before fixation of the cells by addition of 200 µL of 10% cold trichloroacetic acid. After 1 hour of incubation at 4°C, cells were washed 5 times with deionized water. Cells were stained with 200 µL of 0.1% SRB (ICN, Asse, Belgium) dissolved in 1% acetic acid for at least 15 minutes and subsequently washed 4 times with 1% acetic acid to remove unbound stain. The plates were left to dry at room temperature, and bound protein stain was solubilized with 200 µL of 10 mmol/L unbuffered tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane base and transferred to 96-well plates for reading the optical density at 540 nm (550 Microplate Reader; Biorad, Nazareth, Belgium).
Statistical analysis
The survival rates were calculated as follows:
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is a constant, using WinNonlin (Pharsight, Mountain View, Calif) to calculate the concentration of drug causing a 50% growth inhibition value (IC50). All data are presented as means ± SD. All experiments were performed at least 3 times. A 2-sample t test was used to compare IC50 values.
Possible synergism is evaluated with the median drug effect analysis method of Chou and Talalay
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and processed by the computer program CalcuSyn (Biosoft, Cambridge, United Kingdom). Dm values (IC50 values) are calculated by extrapolation. For the separate drugs, the respective growth inhibition parameters, expressed as fraction affected (FA; eg, an FA of 0.25 is a growth inhibition of 25%), were introduced. The combination index (CI) was calculated by using the following formula:
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In Vivo
Animals
Male inbred Wag-Rij strain rats (weight, approximately 250 g), obtained from Iffa Credo (Charluff River, Belgium), were used for all experiments. Animals were treated in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act and the "Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals" (National Institutes of Health publication No. 86-23, revised 1985). The rats were transported in sterile conditions, housed in suspended mesh wire cages under standard laboratory conditions, and ad libitum fed a standard pellet diet (standard rat chow; Hope Farms, Woerden, The Netherlands). The experimental protocols were approved by the Ethical Committee of the University of Antwerp.
Left isolated lung perfusion
Left ILuP was performed according to the technique described by Hendriks and coworkers.
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In brief, rats were anesthetized with isoflurane in a mixture of nitrous oxide (NO2) and oxygen (O2). Isoflurane was administered in a concentration of 4%, and the NO2/O2 ratio was 3:1. After 5 minutes, rats were intubated with a 16-gauge Insyte-W catheter by means of translaryngeal illumination under direct vision and afterward ventilated with a volume-controlled ventilator (Harvard Rodent Ventilator, South Natick, Mass). Once connected to the ventilator, the NO2/O2 ratio was set to 1:1 (0.5 L/min), and the rate of ventilation was 75 strokes/min, with a tidal volume of 10 mL/kg. Subsequently, the left chest was shaved and prepared with a 70% alcohol solution, followed by a left thoracotomy between the fourth and fifth rib. After placing a rib retractor, the left lung was luxated anteriorly, and the hilum was dissected free under microscopic view (magnification 16x; Carl Zeiss, Zaventem, Belgium). The pulmonary artery and vein were clamped with curved microvascular clips (Kleinert-Kurz WK65145). A PE-10 perfusion catheter (Becton Dickinson, Bornem, Belgium) was introduced into the chest through a 16-gauge Angiocath, which was placed through the chest wall. The PE-10 catheter was inserted into the pulmonary artery and fixed with a 4-0 silk tie. Perfusate was delivered through this catheter. The effluent was collected at the venous side by using a catheter in proximity to the venotomy. The left thorax was flushed with 2 mL of saline every 5 minutes.
In all experiments rats were perfused for 25 minutes, followed by a 5-minute washout period with buffered starch and a roller pump at a rate of 0.5 mL/min. At completion of the perfusion, the arteriotomy was repaired with 10-0 nylon sutures (Ethilon; Ethicon, Dilbeek, Belgium). No venotomy repair was performed, but pressure was applied, with gauze placed over the lung to control the bleeding from the venotomy. The thoracotomy incision was closed in layers after introduction of a 16-gauge catheter connected to a 50-mL syringe into the left chest cavity. When animals recovered, the chest tube and endotracheal tubes were removed.
MN, GCB, and Cis solutions were prepared by reconstituting lyophilized powder in the supplied diluent and performing appropriate dilutions with buffered hydroxyethyl starch before the experiments. The optimal dose of MN, GCB, and Cis to be administered by means of left ILuP was determined in previous experiments.
2,6,10
Induction of unilateral pulmonary metastases
At day 0, 63 rats were infused with 2.0x10E6 viable CC531s adenocarcinoma cells through the left femoral vein while clamping the right pulmonary artery for 10 minutes for induction of left pulmonary metastases, as described previously.
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Briefly, anesthesia was induced, as described previously. After a right thoracotomy, the rib retractor was placed in the third intercostal space. After luxating the right upper and middle lobe posteriorly, the right pulmonary artery was dissected free under microscopic view (magnification 16x; Carl Zeiss). Subsequently, a longitudinal incision was made along the posterior border of the superior caval vein, and the right main pulmonary artery was identified. Finally, an occluding curved microvascular clamp (Kleinert-Kurz WK65145) was placed over the main pulmonary artery. The rat was repositioned to gain access to the left femoral vein for infusion of the tumor cells. The clamp on the right pulmonary artery was removed after 10 minutes. The groin incision was subsequently closed with a running suture. After full lung re-expansion, the chest was closed in 3 layers with 4-0 Vicryl sutures (Ethicon, Inc, Somerville, NJ), and the animal was allowed to recover from anesthesia.
Experiment: Survival after left IluP with MN, GCB, and Cis
Data on survival after left IluP with MN, GCB, and Cis are shown in Table 1. At day 0, 63 rats were infused with 2.0x10E6 viable CC531s adenocarcinoma cells through the left femoral vein while clamping the right pulmonary artery for 10 minutes for induction of left pulmonary metastases, as previously described. At day 7, all rats were randomized into 7 groups. Groups 1 to 3 underwent ILuP with 2 mg/kg MN (n = 7), 320 mg/kg GCB (n = 7), and 3 mg/kg Cis (n = 9), respectively. Groups 4 to 6 had ILuP with 320 mg/kg GCB combined with 3 mg/kg Cis (n = 6), 2 mg/kg MN combined with 320 mg/kg GCB (n = 6), and 3 mg/kg Cis combined with 2 mg/kg MN (n = 7), respectively. Group 7 was the untreated control group (n = 21). The end point of the study was death caused by metastatic disease or death at day 90.
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| Results |
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Survival remained unchanged after treatment of CC531s cells with the combination of Cis with the IC25 of GCB, the combination of MN with the IC25 of Cis, and the combination of Cis and the IC50 of GCB.
Synergism was analyzed with the median drug effect analysis of Chou and Talalay,
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and average CIs are shown in Table 4. Only the combination of GCB with the IC25 of MN resulted in synergism. The other combinations resulted in antagonism, and the mean CI was greater than 1.
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| Discussion |
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Because of their different mechanisms of cytotoxicity, synergistic actions were investigated in this study both in vitro and in vivo by using combinations of MN, GCB, and Cis. ILuP with each single drug resulted in significantly longer survival compared with that seen in control animals, whereas survival with MN after ILuP was better compared with that seen with GCB and Cis.
Theoretically, GCB and Cis interact at different levels from cellular uptake until incorporation into the DNA. GCB can interact with the uptake of Cis or with the binding of Cis to DNA. Otherwise, Cis can interact with the cellular uptake, the phosphorylation, or the incorporation of GCB into DNA.
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Van Moorsel and associates
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concluded from in vitro studies that the effect of GCB on the accumulation of Cis or DNA platination by Cis might be important factors in this synergistic action. The best synergistic effect was observed when GCB was administered 4 hours before the addition of Cis. These synergistic effects were confirmed by the in vitro results that showed a significant growth inhibition after exposure of the CC531s cells with GCB and the IC50 of Cis (P = .044, CI = 1.433). However, a nonsignificant synergistic tendency was found in vivo when drugs were delivered simultaneously (P = .0004 compared with GCB; P = .36 compared with Cis). Intravenous pretreatment with GCB before ILuP with Cis might induce synergistic activity
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but was not tested in these experiments.
The mechanism of cytotoxicity of MN is totally different from that of GCB. MN can be activated to an alkylating agent, resulting in DNA cross-links, whereas GCB is incorporated into the DNA after a phosphorylation step.
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In contrast to these small synergistic actions between GCB and alkylating agents, the present study shows a strong and significant synergistic effect when MN is added to GCB (P = .0005 compared with GCB). One rat was in complete histologic remission after death at 90 days. In vitro results confirmed this significant synergistic activity (P = .01, CI = 0.629) after treatment with GCB and the IC50 of MN.
Finally, left ILuP with MN and Cis did not result in synergistic action either in vivo (P = .029 compared with Cis; P = .88 compared with MN) or in vitro.
In conclusion, left ILuP monotherapy with MN, GCB, and Cis enhances the survival of rats with unilateral left lung metastastic disease compared with that seen in control animals, with MN having the best results. A synergistic tendency in prolongation of survival was observed after left ILuP with MN-GCB and GCB-Cis, but the strongest synergistic effects were seen with MN-GCB.
| Acknowledgments |
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| References |
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in a rat sarcoma lung metastases model. Ann Thorac Surg 1994;58:328-332.[Abstract]This article has been cited by other articles:
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P. E. Van Schil, J. M. Hendriks, B. P. van Putte, B. A. Stockman, P. R. Lauwers, P. W. ten Broecke, M. J. Grootenboers, and F. M. Schramel Isolated lung perfusion and related techniques for the treatment of pulmonary metastases Eur. J. Cardiothorac. Surg., March 1, 2008; 33(3): 487 - 496. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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