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Tumor Biology
Published in: Tumor Biology 9/2014

01-09-2014 | Research Article

Melittin radiosensitizes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with induction of apoptosis in vitro and in vivo

Authors: Hongcheng Zhu, Xi Yang, Jia Liu, Yangyang Ge, Qin Qin, Jing Lu, Liangliang Zhan, Zheming Liu, Hao Zhang, Xiaochen Chen, Chi Zhang, Liping Xu, Hongyan Cheng, Xinchen Sun

Published in: Tumor Biology | Issue 9/2014

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Abstract

Currently, unresectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is primarily treated by chemoradiotherapy. However, the outcome has not improved significantly because of radioresistance of cancer cells. This study aimed to determine the radiosensitizing effect of melittin, a novel component of bee venom, in ESCC. ESCC cell lines were irradiated with or without melittin. Cell proliferation was detected by Cell Counting Kit 8 assay. Radiosensitization was evaluated by clonogenic survival assay. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. Results show that melittin potently sensitized ESCC cells to radiation with a sensitization enhancement ratio of 1.15–1.42. Radiosensitization was accompanied with enhanced apoptosis and regulated by apoptosis proteins. The results were confirmed by in vivo studies on tumor-bearing xenografts. In summary, these results provide support that melittin may be a potentially promising radiosensitizer in ESCC radiation therapy.
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Metadata
Title
Melittin radiosensitizes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with induction of apoptosis in vitro and in vivo
Authors
Hongcheng Zhu
Xi Yang
Jia Liu
Yangyang Ge
Qin Qin
Jing Lu
Liangliang Zhan
Zheming Liu
Hao Zhang
Xiaochen Chen
Chi Zhang
Liping Xu
Hongyan Cheng
Xinchen Sun
Publication date
01-09-2014
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Published in
Tumor Biology / Issue 9/2014
Print ISSN: 1010-4283
Electronic ISSN: 1423-0380
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13277-014-2146-z

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