Objective: To develop novel targeted anticancer medicines for effective treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), a prevalent malignant disease in southern China and southeast Asia.
Methods: CNE cells were treated with a novel indolinone IF239 synthesized by our research group. Cell viability was determined by the acid phosphatase assay (APA). Morphologic changes and adhesion status of CNE cells treated with IF239 were observed under a light microscope. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the cell cycle phases . Key regulating molecules in the cell cycle progression were detected by Western blotting.
Results: IF239 had potent cytotoxic effect on CNE cells. The possible antitumor mechanisms of IF239 involved inhibition of cell adhesion and cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. Moreover, G2/M arrest caused by IF239 was related to up-regulation of both cyclin B1 and the phosphorylation level of CDK1.
Conclusion: IF239 has high anticancer activity over CNE cells, and has unique anticancer mechanisms, suggesting that IF239 has promising application potentials.