Chondroitin taurin therapy significantly decreased the growth inhibitory effect of enzastaurin, compared with enzastaurin monotherapy in enzastaurin sensitive A549 cells. Enzastaurin therapy after JAK inhibitor 1 mM treatment also diminished the growthinhibitory effect of enzastaurin, compared with enzastaurin monotherapy in A549 cells. The IC50 values of concurrent enzastaurin with JAK inhibitor and enzastaurin therapy after JAK inhibitor were 76 and 83, respectively, whereas that of enzastaurin monotherapy was 5.8. In addition, RERF LC KJ cells, which are also sensitive toenzastaurin, showed resistance after JAK inhibitor therapy in combination with enzastaurin. In RERF LC KJ cells, both IC50 values of concurrent chemical library screening enzastaurin with JAK inhibitor and enzastaurin therapy after JAK inhibitor were over 100, whereas that of enzastaurin monotherapy was 6.8. To confirm further the ability of JAK1 to indicate drug sensitivity to enzastaurin, we developed a lentiviral vector for the expression of JAK1 and established stable JAK1 overexpressing A549 cells. Western blot analysis showed the overexpression of JAK1 in LV JAK1 A549 cells. The growth inhibitory effect of enzastaurin on LV JAK1 A549 cells was assessed by MTS assay.
The drug sensitivities of two LV JAK1 A549 cells were greater than those in the control cells. The IC50 values of two LV EGFP A549 cells were 2.2 and 4.5, respectively, whereas that of LV EGFP A549 cells was 25. These results indicate that JAK1 expression drug library contributed to the drug sensitivity and could be used as a drugsensitive marker to enzastaurin in lung cancer cells. JAK/STAT3 pathway directly activates miR 21 A significant correlation between JAK1 and miR 21 was found in our set of NSCLC cells. STAT3 is a transcription factor activated by JAK1, and its binding to the target sites in miR 21 promoter upon IL 6 induction has been reported previously. To verify the association between JAK1 and miR 21, miR 21 expression was quantified after the stimulation of IL 6 by qRT PCR analysis. Upon IL 6 exposure, p STAT3 expression was significantly upregulated, resulting in the overexpression of miR 21 at 24 h in A549 cells. We also evaluated the miR 21 expression in LV LAK1 A549 cells. In the JAK1 overexpressing cells, miR 21 expression was apixaban significantly higher than in parent cells. These results supported the concept that miR 21 is directly induced by JAK/ STAT signalling in NSCLC cells. DISCUSSION Enzastaurin has recently been evaluated as second or third line therapy of NSCLC in a phase II study.
Synergistic effects of the combination of enzastaurin and cytotoxic drugs including cisplatin, gemcitabine and pemetrexed have been found in NSCLC cells in an in vitro study. A recent study showed that enzastaurin inhibited in vivo metastasis of NSCLC cells. It is known that PKCs mediate the regulation of the cell cycle, enzastaurin is also able to inhibit several proteins involved in cell cycle regulation, for example, E2F 1 associated with G1/S checkpoint and Cdc25C resulting in G2/M checkpoint. These checkpoint arrests provide the tumour cells with the opportunity to repair their DNA, which has been damaged by cytotoxic drugs. Reduction of E2F 1 expression and phosphorylated Cdc25C by enzastaurin might explain the abrogation of the checkpoint arrest.