Low dose combinations of 2-methoxyestradiol and docetaxel block prostate cancer cells in mitosis and increase apoptosis

Clinical trials have shown that chemotherapy with docetaxel (Doc) combined with prednisone can improve survival of patients with androgen-independent prostate cancer (AI-PC). It is likely that the combination of Doc with other novel agents would also improve the survival of AI-PC patients. We investigated whether the combination of Doc and 2-methoxyestradiol (2ME2), an endogenous metabolite of estradiol promising for cancer therapy, can increase apoptotic cell death in prostate cancer cells. Low concentration 2ME2 (0.5−1 μM) + Doc (0.05−0.1 nM) combinations inhibit cell growth, increase G2/M cell cycle arrest, and increase apoptosis more effectively than the single concentrations in a variety of human AI-PC cells. Effects on apoptosis were associated with an increase in p53 protein and a decrease in cyclin A-dependent kinase activity. We then investigated whether the combination of 2ME2 + Doc can increase apoptotic cell death and inhibit the growth of prostate tumors in the FG/Tag transgenic mouse model of AI-PC. Doses of 2ME2 and Doc that increase mitotic cell cycle arrest result in an increase in apoptosis and lower primary prostate tumor weights in FG/Tag mice. High dose 2ME2 + Doc combinations did not increase G2/M cell cycle arrest or apoptosis in AI-PC cell lines and in the FG/Tag mice more than the single drugs. Overall, our data indicate that low dose 2ME2 + Doc combinations may provide a treatment strategy that can improve therapeutic efficacy against AI-PC while reducing toxicity often seen in patients treated with Doc.