沙利度胺治疗肝癌的实验研究

目的研究沙利度胺对肝癌的治疗作用。方法采用小鼠肝癌移植性模型。观察沙利度胺对实体型和腹水型肿瘤的治疗作用。结果沙利度胺按每日200mg／kg连续给药10d，能明显抑制肝癌实体型肿瘤的生长，不降低小鼠血细胞数及淋巴细胞增殖；对腹水型肿瘤小鼠虽无明显生命延长作用，但沙利度胺与阿霉素联合用药对肝癌实体型及腹水型均有协调抗肿瘤作用，且可阻止阿霉素造成的小鼠血细胞减少、免疫功能降低。沙利度胺日剂量200mg／kg能明显增加肿瘤组织坏死，促进肿瘤组织边缘淋巴细胞侵润。结论沙利度胺对小鼠肝癌有确切治疗作用，与阿霉素联合用药效果更好。     

Stroke Caused by Small Vessel Occlusion in a Patient Taking Etoricoxib and Thalidomide

We report a 33-year-old man with seronegative arthritis who had an acute infarct at the left lentiform nucleus while taking etoricoxib and thalidomide regularly. Extensive investigations did not find any evidence of large artery atherosclerosis, vasculitis, cardioembolic source or anti-phospholipid antibodies. While it is possible that a short smoking history, hyperlipidemia, and the use of thalidomide could have contributed to the thrombosis of a small penetrator vessel, we postulated that the prolonged use of etoricoxib is another possible contributing factor.     

Thalidomide protects endothelial cells from doxorubicin-induced apoptosis but alters cell morphology

Summary.  Antiangiogenesis agents are now being used in clinical trials to reduce the risk of recurrence of cancer. Several of these agents, however, are associated with thrombosis, especially when used in combination with chemotherapy. Antiangiogenesis and thrombosis are both endothelial-related activities, and we therefore evaluated one presumed antiangiogenesis agent (thalidomide) on intact cultured endothelial cells, and on cultured endothelial cells injured by preincubation with doxorubicin. We evaluated cell viability, caspase-3 activation, morphology of cells using light microscopy, and protease activated receptor-1 (PAR-l) expression. In our experiments, doxorubicin induced a dose- and incubation time-dependent and caspase-3-mediated apoptosis of endothelial cells. Thalidomide alone caused no changes in intact endothelial cells in terms of morphology, cell viability or activation of caspase-3. In contrast, when thalidomide was added to doxorubicin-injured endothelial cells, there was protection from cell death, increase in viability of endothelial cells, induction of differentiation and formation of neotubules. Doxorubicin reduced the expression of thrombin receptor, PAR-1, as evaluated by immunostaining and flow cytometry. Thalidomide did not alter PAR-1 expression in untreated cells but restored its expression reduced by doxorubicin. These findings suggest that thalidomide may be procoagulant, not by enhancing doxorubicin-mediated endothelial cell injury, but by altering the expression of PAR-1 on injured endothelium and resulting in endothelial dysfunction, which may explain hypercoagulability in patients treated with chemotherapy followed by thalidomide.     

Human multiple myeloma cells express peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma and undergo apoptosis upon exposure to PPARgamma ligands

Multiple myeloma is essentially an incurable malignancy and it is therefore of great interest to develop new therapeutic approaches. We previously reported that human B cell-lymphomas express the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) and are killed by PPARgamma ligands. Herein, we investigate the therapeutic potential of PPARgamma ligands for multiple myeloma. The human multiple myeloma cell lines ANBL6 and 8226 express PPARgamma mRNA and protein. The PPARgamma ligands, 15-deoxy-Delta12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) and ciglitazone, induced multiple myeloma cell apoptosis as determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and caspase activation. Importantly, the ability of PPARgamma ligands to kill both multiple myeloma cell lines was not abrogated by Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a multiple myeloma growth survival factor. Finally, the RXR ligand 9-cis retinoic acid (9-cis RA) in combination with PPARgamma ligands greatly enhanced multiple myeloma cell killing. These new findings support that PPARgamma ligands may represent a novel therapy for multiple myeloma.     

Differential Effects of Thalidomide on Angiogenesis and Tumor Growth in Mice

Thalidomide, clinically used as an antiinflammatory and antitumoral drug, inhibited sponge-induced angiogenesis when administered systemically (100 mg/kg^–1) in mice. However, it failed to inhibit solid Ehrlich tumor in the same mouse strain. We have used functional, biochemical and histological parameters to assess neovascularization and fibrovascular tissue infiltration of the mice sponge granuloma. The neovascularization growth as detected by development of blood flow and hemoglobin content extracted from the implants showed that thalidomide inhibited fibrovascular tissue formation by 40%. The functional and biochemical parameters correlated well with the histological study. Thalidomide had no inhibitory effect in the development of Ehrlich tumor. The detection of this selective action using the same animal strain bearing two different processes, supports the hypothesis that rather than species specificity, thalidomide is tissue specific. This approach may be used to identify the specificity of other therapeutic agents against distinct angiogenesis-dependent diseases.     

The immunosuppressive drug thalidomide induces T helper cell type 2 (Th2) and concomitantly inhibits Th1 cytokine production in mitogen- and antigen-stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures.

Thalidomide is an effective immunomodulatory drug in man, but its mechanism of action remains unclear. We hypothesized that, in addition to its reported inhibitory effects on production of monocyte-derived tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), thalidomide might be effective at the level of Th immunoregulation. In a comparative study with the immunosuppressant cyclosporin A, we have demonstrated a potent and specific effect of thalidomide on cytokine production relating to the distinct Th1 and Th2 subsets. It induced and enhanced the production of IL-4 and IL-5 and, at the same dose (1000 ng/ml), significantly inhibited interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production in phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures. Stimulation of PBMC with recall antigen (streptokinase:streptodornase (SKSD)) at 144 h in the absence of thalidomide resulted in a predominantly Th1 response, with the production of IFN-gamma and IL-2. Thalidomide switched this response from a Th1 to a Th2 type. The effect was most pronounced at 1000 ng/ml thalidomide, where inhibition of IFN-gamma and enhancement of IL-4 production was maximal. In unstimulated cultures thalidomide alone induced IL-4 production. Cyclosporin A, in contrast, inhibited both Th1 and Th2 cytokine production by PHA-stimulated PBMC. Time course data from thalidomide-treated cultures revealed that the augmented IL-4 production diminished as the culture time increased, whereas IFN-gamma production was significantly increased. This response might be due to activation-induced apoptosis of Th2 cells or the induction of Th2 cell anergy, in the continued presence of stimulating agents, with the emergence of IFN-gamma-secreting Th1 cells when Th2 antagonism declines. The effects of thalidomide and related compounds may enhance our understanding of the mechanisms of T helper cell selection, offer the possibility of controlled therapeutic switching between Th1 and Th2 responses, and may lead to a rational approach for the treatment of some T cell-mediated immunological disorders.     

沙利度胺治疗多发性骨髓瘤的临床疗效

目的 :探讨沙利度胺治疗多发性骨髓瘤 (MM)的临床有效性。方法 :初治、难治或复发MM患者 10例 ,沙利度胺起始剂量 5 0～ 2 0 0mg·d-1,每 2wk增加 5 0～ 2 0 0mg·d-1,直到患者能够耐受或有效 ;同时联合应用化疗。根据M蛋白评定疗效为完全缓解 (CR)、很好的部分缓解 (VGPR)、部分缓解 (PR)、微小反应 (MR)和无反应 (NR)。同时对贫血、骨髓浆细胞比例和其他如口腔溃疡等进行评价。结果 :CR 3例 ,VGPR 3例 ,PR 4例。平均随访时间 5 0 5wk ,总生存率 90 %,无病生存率 30 %。无不能耐受的不良反应。结论 :沙利度胺可作为初发或难治MM的治疗。     

反应停、紫杉醇对Lewis肺癌小鼠的抑瘤作用

目的　研究反应停、小剂量紫杉醇对 L ewis肺癌小鼠皮下移植瘤和肺转移瘤的抑制作用 ,并探讨其与肿瘤细胞凋亡和细胞周期的关系。方法　 50只荷 L ewis肺癌小鼠随机分为四组 ,分别给予生理盐水、反应停、小剂量紫杉醇、反应停联合小剂量紫杉醇治疗 ,第 2 1天处死动物 ,称取鼠重、瘤重、肺重 ,计数肺转移结节数 ,免疫组化染色记数肿瘤组织微血管密度 ,流式细胞仪检测肿瘤细胞凋亡率及细胞周期。结果　反应停、小剂量紫杉醇单独及联合治疗组肿瘤重量与对照组间差异无显著性 (P>0 .0 5)。反应停、小剂量紫杉醇单独及联合治疗组肺重、肺转移结节数及肿瘤组织微血管密度均小于对照组 ,差异有显著性 (P<0 .0 5)。各治疗组肿瘤细胞凋亡率及 G1、S、G2 期肿瘤细胞百分数与对照组间差异无显著性 (P>0 .0 5)。结论　反应停、小剂量紫杉醇不能抑制 L ewis肺癌皮下移植瘤生长 ,但可抑制肿瘤肺转移 ,两药间无协同或拮抗作用。反应停、小剂量紫杉醇不诱导 L ewis肺癌细胞凋亡 ,不影响肿瘤细胞生长周期     

生物化疗联合沙利度胺治疗晚期肾癌的临床观察

目的 观察生物化疗加沙利度胺对晚期肾癌的治疗作用。方法 选取病理证实均为肾细胞癌的晚期肾癌后患者61例。分两组：①对照组23例行生物化疗；②实验组38例行生物化疗加沙利度胺治疗。所有病人均行病肾姑息切除术或肾动脉栓塞术，术后1—2周开始生物化疗。生物化疗方法：IL-2200万U／次，3次／周皮下注射；IFN-2a300万u／次，3次／周皮下注射；IL-2和IFN-2a均用42周。5-FU500mg加入5％葡萄糖液500ml缓慢静脉滴注（4—6h），第1-5天。21d为1周期，共4-6周期。沙利度胺用法为400mg／d，分2次口服，服用1年或至病情进展。结果 近期疗效两组均无CR病例。对照组PR5例，有效率（CR＋PR）21．7％；实验组PR18例，有效率（CR＋PR）47．4％，两组差异有显著性（P〈0．05）。两组未见严重不良反应发生。疾病进展期对照组4．7个月，平均5．2个月，实验组6-9个月，平均7个月。随访12个月对照组成活11例，1年生存率为43．4％；实验组成活19例，1年生存率为50％。随访24个月，对照组5例生存。生存率17．4％；实验组7例生存，生存率18．4％，两组差异无显著性（P〉0．05）。结论 生物化疗加沙利度胺对晚期肾癌的治疗与生物化疗相比，能提高近期疗效和延长疾病进展时间，对1年和2年生存率无差别。