Silencing Receptor EphA2 Enhanced Sensitivity to Lipoplatin™ in Lung Tumor and MPM Cells

ABSTRACT

Receptor EphA2 is overexpressed in lung cancer and malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) which promote tumorogenesis. Lipoplatin™, a new liposomal cisplatin formulation, is used against resistant tumors. Use of cisplatin-based drugs leads to unacceptable toxicities. To improve the effectiveness of Lipoplatin, enhancing the cellular sensitivity of lung tumor and MPM cells is critical. Therefore, we targeted receptor EphA2 by silencing interference RNA (siRNA) and treated tumor cells with Lipoplatin. The combined effects of siRNA-EphA2 and Lipoplatin were determined. We report that silencing EphA2 significantly enhanced the cellular sensitivity of lung tumor and MPM cells to Lipoplatin and maybe a potential therapy for lung cancer.

KEYWORDS:

• Lipoplatin
• EphA2 receptor
• combination therapy
• liposomal nanoparticles
• malignant pleural mesothelioma
• non-small cell lung cancer

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Funding

This work was supported by RC1 grant #09KW-08 from the Florida Department of Health & Department of Medicine, University of Florida (Gatorade Funds) to Dr. Najmunnisa Nasreen, PhD.