Hypoxia counteracts taxol-induced apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells: role of autophagy and JNK activation.

ABSTRACT: Cancer cell resistance against chemotherapy is still a heavy burden to improve anticancer treatments. Autophagy activation and the development of hypoxic regions within the tumors are known to promote cancer cell resistance. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the role of autophagy and hypoxia on the taxol-induced apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. The results showed that taxol induced apoptosis after 16 h of incubation, and that hypoxia protected MDA-MB-231 cells from taxol-induced apoptosis. In parallel, taxol induced autophagy activation already after 2 h of incubation both under normoxia and hypoxia. Autophagy activation after taxol exposure was shown to be a protective mechanism against taxol-induced cell death both under normoxia and hypoxia. However, at longer incubation time

SUBMITTER: Notte A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3674374 | biostudies-literature | 2013 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature