Preclinical assessment of the VEGFR inhibitor axitinib as a therapeutic agent for epithelial ovarian cancer.

ABSTRACT: Axitinib, small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor, demonstrates anti-cancer activity for various solid tumors. We investigated anti-cancer effect of axitinib in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). We treated EOC cells (A2780, HeyA8, RMG1, and HeyA8-MDR) with axitinib to evaluate its effects on cell viabilty, apoptosis and migration. Western blots were performed to assess VEGFR2, ERK, and AKT levels, and ELISA and FACS to evaluate apoptosis according to axitinib treatment. In addition, in vivo experiments in xenografts using A2780, RMG1, and HeyA8-MDR cell lines were performed. We repeated the experiment with patient-derived xenograft models (PDX) of EOC. Axitinib significantly inhibited cell survival and migration, and increased apoptosis in EOC cells. The expression of VEGFR2 and phosphoryl

SUBMITTER: Paik ES 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7078214 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature