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BackgroundThe combination of phytochemicals with chemotherapy drugs is an emerging new strategy for cancer therapy to increase antitumor responses.MethodsThe present study investigates the effect of the combination of capsaicin (CAP) with cisplatin (DDP) and the potential underlying anticancer mechanisms in osteosarcoma (OS) cells in vitro and in vivo.ResultsCell viability assays and isobolographic analyses demonstrated that the combination of CAP and DDP showed synergistic cytotoxic effects on OS cells. We chose relatively low concentrations of CAP (100 μM) and DDP (16.7 μM) for subsequent experiments. Generally, the combination of CAP and DDP had significant effects on apoptosis induction, cell cycle arrest and cell invasion inhibition in OS cells compared with the individual-treatment groups and the control group. Moreover, cotreatment with CAP and DDP triggered prosurvival autophagy through reactive oxygen species (ROS)/JNK and p-AKT/mTOR signaling in OS cells. The combination regimen of CAP and DDP also inhibited tumor growth in an OS xenograft model.ConclusionThese results suggest that the combination of CAP and DDP has strong inhibitory effects on OS cells and identify CAP as a promising agent for supplementing standard chemotherapy and possible future targeted therapy in OS.

Nimustine (ACNU) has antitumor activities in patients with malignant glioma. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) may enhance the efficacy of certain therapies that are hampered by the hypoxic microenvironment. We examined the combined effects of ACNU and HBO in a GFP transgenic nude mice bearing human glioma model. Mice inoculated with human glioma cells SU3 were randomly divided into the four groups: (A) the control group, (B) the HBOT (HBO therapy) group, (C) the ACNU group, and (D) the HBOT+ACNU group. Tumor size was measured at the indicated time intervals with a caliper; mice were sacrificed 28 days after treatment, and immunohistochemistry staining and western blot analysis were carried out. By the end of the trial, the tumor weights of groups A, B, C, and D were (P < 0.05), 6.03 ± 1.47, 4.13 ± 1.82 (P < 0.05), 2.39 ± 0.25 (P < 0.05), and 1.43 ± 0.38 (P < 0.01), respectively. The expressions of TNF‐α, MMP9, HIF‐α, VEGF, NF‐κB, and IL‐1β were associated with the infiltration of inflammatory cells and the inhibition rate of tumor cells. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) could inhibit glioma cell proliferation and inflammatory cell infiltration, and exert a sensitizing effect on ACNU therapy partially through enhancing oxygen pressure (PO2) in tumor tissues and lower expression levels of HIF‐1α, TNF‐α, IL‐1β, VEGF, MMP9, and NF‐κB.

Compared to propofol, benzodiazepines may increase the duration of ICU stay. Compared to alpha agonists, benzodiazepines were associated with an increased risk of delirium.

PEGylation improved the affinity and the targeting ability of the GX1 peptide. PEG-(GX1)2 is a more promising probe for imaging of colorectal vasculature than GX1.