Background: Despite the considerable advances in the treatment of colorectal cancer, substantial changes in treatment strategies are required to overcome the problems of drug resistance and toxicity.
Materials and methods: Combinations of Pan-deacetylase inhibitor LBH589 and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) were studied in three colon cancer cell lines, HCT116, colo205, and HT29 (HCT116 and colo205 are TRAIL sensitive, whereas HT29 is TRAIL resistant).
Results: It was found that TRAIL-induced cytotoxicity was enhanced by LBH589 cotreatment in the TRAIL-sensitive cell lines, and in the TRAIL-resistant HT29 cell line. The cytotoxicity of low-dose TRAIL plus LBH589 was found to be comparable to that of high-dose TRAIL plus LBH589. Additionally, TRAIL and LBH589 were significantly less toxic to normal UCB mononuclear cells than to the three colon cancer cell lines examined.
Conclusion: LBH589 enhances TRAIL-induced apoptosis in human colon cancer cell lines, especially those resistant to TRAIL-induced apoptosis.