Although Chk1 kinase inhibitors are currently under clinical investigation as effective cancer cell sensitizers to the cytotoxic effects of numerous chemotherapeutics, there is still a considerable uncertainty regarding their role in modulation of anticancer potential of platinum-based drugs. Here we newly demonstrate the ability of one of the most specific Chk1 inhibitors, SCH900776 (MK-8776), to enhance human colon cancer cell sensitivity to the cytotoxic effects of platinum(II) cisplatin and platinum(IV)- LA-12 complexes. The combined treatment with SCH900776 and cisplatin or LA-12 results in apparent increase in G1/S phase–related apoptosis, stimulation of mitotic slippage, and senescence of HCT116 cells. We further show that the cancer cell response to the drug combinations is significantly affected by the p21, p53, and PTEN status. In contrast to their wt counterparts, the p53- or p21-deficient cells treated with SCH900776 and cisplatin or LA-12 enter mitosis and become polyploid, and the senescence phenotype is strongly suppressed. While the cell death induced by SCH900776 and cisplatin or LA-12 is significantly delayed in the absence of p53, the anticancer action of the drug combinations is significantly accelerated in p21-deficient cells, which is associated with stimulation of apoptosis beyond G2/M cell cycle phase. We also show that cooperative killing action of the drug combinations in HCT116 cells is facilitated in the absence of PTEN. Our results indicate that SCH900776 may act as an important modulator of cytotoxic response triggered by platinum-based drugs in colon cancer cells.

Searching for new strategies for effective elimination of human prostate cancer cells, we investigated the cooperative cytotoxic action of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and two platinum-based complexes, cisplatin or LA-12, and related molecular mechanisms. We demonstrated a notable ability of cisplatin or LA-12 to enhance the sensitivity of several human prostate cancer cell lines to TRAIL-induced cell death via an engagement of mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. This was accompanied by augmented Bid cleavage, Bak activation, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, activation of caspase-8, -10, -9, and -3, and XIAP cleavage. RNAi-mediated silencing of Bid or Bak in Bax-deficient DU 145 cells suppressed the drug combination-induced cytotoxicity, further underscoring the involvement of mitochondrial signaling. The caspase-10 was dispensable for enhancement of cisplatin/LA-12 and TRAIL combination-induced cell death and stimulation of Bid cleavage. Importantly, we newly demonstrated LA-12-mediated enhancement of TRAIL-induced cell death in cancer cells derived from human patient prostate tumor specimens. Our results provide convincing evidence that employing TRAIL combined with cisplatin/LA-12 could contribute to more effective killing of prostate cancer cells compared to the individual action of the drugs, and offer new mechanistic insights into their cooperative anticancer action.