Synergistic antiangiogenic activity of tetrandrine combined with Endostar on the human umbilical vein endothelial cell model.

Abstract

Endostar was approved for the treatment of cancer as an antiangiogenic agent with limited therapeutic effects used alone in cancer treatment. Tetrandrine (TET) has a variety of nontumor-related effects and anticancer effects, including antiangiogenic effects. This study was designed to explore the interaction of Endostar and TET. Antiproliferative effects of TET combined with Endostar on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and the human colon cancer cell line LoVo were evaluated by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-y)-2,5-diphenylterazolium bromide (MTT) assays. The effects on HUVEC migration and tube formation of TET plus Endostar were observed by the transwell test and tube formation assay. Refer to the mechanisms of the cell proliferation inhibition effect caused by the two drugs: apoptosis assay and cell cycle analysis of HUVECs were analyzed by Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and propidium iodide (PI) staining, followed by flow cytometry. The combination of TET and Endostar had a synergistic effect on the antiproliferation of HUVECs and LoVo cells. Further, all these antiangiogenic effects such as inhibition of cell migration, suppression of tube formation, induction of cell apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest were enhanced when HUVECs were treated with TET combined with Endostar. Thus, we identified that there was a synergistic antiangiogenic effect in vitro when combining TET with Endostar.