[Enhancement of the anticancer activity of cisplatin combined with caffeine and phenobarbital in vitro].

BACKGROUND: To investigate the enhancing effect of caffeine(CAF) on the anticancer activity of cisplatin on human lung cancer SPC-A-1 cells in vitro and study whether this enhancing effect of caffeine could be inhibited by phenobarbital(PBT). METHODS: The enhancing effect of combination of caffeine and phenobarbital on the cytotoxicity of DDP on SPC-A-1 was detected by MTT assay. RESULTS: No significant cytotoxicity was observed in SPC-A-1 cells treated with 120 μg/ml CAF alone, 10 μg/ml PBT alone or both of them. CAF with a concentration of 120 μg/ml showed significant enhancing effect on the cytotoxicity of DDP on SPC-A-1 (P<0.05), but PBT of 10 μg/ml did not (P>0.05). The combination with CAF of 120 μg/ml and PBT of 10 μg/ml could remarkably enhance the cytotoxicity of DDP too (P<0.01). The enhancing effect of CAF plus PBT on cytotoxicity of DDP was not significantly different from that of CAF (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: CAF can enhance anticancer activity of DDP in SPC-A-1, which is not antagonized by PBT. The results suggest that as a composition to reduce the side effects of CAF in vitro, PBT may be used as an enhancing agent of chemotherapeutical drugs together with CAF in the treatment of lung cancer.