Paclitaxel, Carboplatin and 1,25-D3 Inhibit Proliferation of Ovarian Cancer Cells In Vitro

: Tea Kuittinen, Päivi Rovio, Tiina Luukkaala, Marita Laurila, Seija Grénman, Anne Kallioniemi, Johanna Mäenpää

Publisher: INT INST ANTICANCER RESEARCH

: 2020

Anticancer Research

ANTICANCER RESEARCH

: ANTICANCER RES

: 40

: 6

: 3129

: 3138

: 10

: 0250-7005

: 1791-7530

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21873/anticanres.14294

: https://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/40/6/3129

Background/Aim: The combination of paclitaxel and carboplatin is the standard chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. Previous studies have implied that vitamin D (1,25-D3) may have growth inhibitory effects in ovarian cancer. This study aimed to investigate the effect of paclitaxel, carboplatin and 1,25-D3 on the growth of ovarian cancer cells in vitro, based on the hypothesis that 1,25-D3 might potentiate the effect of paclitaxel and/or carboplatin. Materials and Methods: Three non-commercial ovarian carcinoma cell lines UT-OV-1(mucinous), UT-OV-3B (serous) and UT-OV-4 (endometrioid) were exposed to different concentrations of 1,25-D3, paclitaxel and carboplatin, respectively. The cell viability was measured using a Crystal violet assay kit. The cellular vitamin D receptor (VDR) mRNA levels were measured by qRT-PCR using the LightCycler equipment. Results: The growth-inhibitory effect of the combination of paclitaxel and carboplatin was 56% in UT-OV-1, 33% in UT-OV-3B and 47% in UT-OV-4 cells. Single 1,25-D3 (10 mu M) inhibited the growth of UT-OV-3B and UT-OV-4 by 23% and 28%, respectively, whereas no effect was seen in UT-OV-1 cells. These results are in line with the finding that the expression of VDR was high in UT-OV-3B and UT-OV-4, but very low in UT-OV-1. The combination of 1,25-D3, paclitaxel and carboplatin resulted in 61%, 46% and 58% growth reduction in UT-OV-1, UT-OV-3B and UT-OV-4 cells, respectively. The additive effect of 1,25-D3 was 21% in UT-OV-4, 20% in UT-OV-3B and 12% in UT-OV-1 cell line. Conclusion: The results imply that combining 1,25-D3 with paclitaxel and carboplatin may potentiate their growth inhibitory effect on ovarian cancer cells with high VDR expression.