ةtude in vitro de lʹassociation paclitaxel-radiothérapie sur une lignée cellulaire tumorale épidermoïde humaine

SummaryPurpose axel is an agent which stabilizes microtubules, and has been shown to block different cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle and thus to modulate their radioresponsiveness. We investigated the radiosensitizing potential of paclitaxel in human head and neck cancer cells. als and methods cells were incubated with paclitaxel for 3, 9, or 24 h before or during 24 h after irradiation. Paclitaxel concentrations of 70 nM, 7 nM, and 0.7 nM were chosen to obtain equivalent toxicity at the different incubation times: 3 h, 9 h, and 24 h, respectively. Radiation doses ranged from 0 to 8 Gy using 60Co source. Cell survival was measured by a standard clonogenic assay after a 9-day incubation. Flow cytometry was used to measure the capacity of paclitaxel to accumulate cells in the G2/M phase. s axel alone possessed cytotoxicity dependant on time and concentration. There was a total of 40% of cells accumulated in G2/M after 24–36 h. When combined with radiation, the 9 h preincubation resulted in a radiosensitization. The 3 h pre-incubation as well as the 24 h post-incubation resulted in an infra-additive effect. sion cells a radiosensitizing effect of paclitaxel could not be demonstrated unambiguously. The blockage of the cells in the G2/M phase is not the only mechanism to explain the potential radiosensitization of paclitaxel.