Ciglitazone, an agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, exerts potentiated cytostatic/cytotoxic effects against tumor cells when combined with lovastatin
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- Published online on: January 1, 2008 https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.32.1.249
- Pages: 249-255
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Abstract
Thiazolidinediones are ligands of PPAR-γ, a member of the nuclear receptor family. These drugs have shown promising pre-clinical activity in tumor models but clinical studies failed to confirm their beneficial effect. We have studied the in vitro antitumor effects of a combination of ciglitazone, a thiazolidinedione drug, and lovastatin, an inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase. We observed a marked synergism in several different tumor cell lines resulting from both inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis. These results strongly suggest that combining PPAR-γ agonists with statins can produce significant antitumor effects.