Bortezomib synergizes with pirarubicin to induce growth arrest of T cell lymphoma Hut-78 cells

Objective: To investigate the cytotoxic effect of bortezomib (BTZ) on human cutaneous T-cell lymphoma Hut-78 cell line and the antitumor activity of BTZ combined with pirarubicin (THP) on tumor cells. Methods: The effects of BTZ, THP alone, or BTZ plus THP, on the proliferation of Hut-78 cells were determined by MTT assay. Results: BTZ and THP alone effectively induced growth inhibition of Hut-78 cells in a time-and dose-dependent manner, with an 50 % inhibiting concentration of 8.53 nmol/L and 2515.27 μg/L individually after 48 hours of culture. BTZ plus THP had an impressive antitumor efficacy compared with single agent. The combination index analysis showed significant synergistic effects when treated with BTZ followed by THP and concurrent BTZ plus THP, especially for the former. Conclusion: BTZ alone or combined with THP significantly inhibited the growth of Hut-78 cells in vitro. Our study demonstrated that BTZ plus THP presents a synergistically antitumor effect on T cell lymphoma cells and may be an optimal regimen in clinical trial of T cell lymphoma.