Recent publications
Dr. Yann Gibert, professor in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, examines zebrafish to comparatively analyze the effect of cisplatin, compound B, and controls on general organismal, auditory and renal system toxicity and cancer metastasis.
Ovarian cancer ranks as the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Cisplatin, a platinum-based medication, treats this cancer by entering the cancer cells and damaging their DNA, leading to cell death. Unfortunately, ovarian cancer cells frequently develop resistance to cisplatin, requiring higher doses that can result in severe side effects such as permanent damage to the kidneys and hearing.
In the study entitled “Anti-ovarian cancer migration and toxicity characteristics of a platinum (IV) pro-drug with axial HDAC inhibitor ligands in zebrafish models,” Dr. Yann Gibert, professor in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, along with co-authors from the same department, Dr. Salma Begum, Dr. Dave Monroe, Scheldon Irvin and Carol Cox, tested how different treatments affect ovarian cancer cells. They used cell culture methods and the MTT assay to examine a control, cisplatin and a new drug called Compound B, which is a modified version of cisplatin. Additionally, they looked at two types of cancer cells: A2780, which responds well to cisplatin, and A2780cis, which does not. These cell lines are often used to study the effects of cancer drugs.
The findings suggest that a chemotherapy drug that enhances the effects of cisplatin in cancer cell cultures may have different effects when used in living organisms and could increase toxicity in healthy cells. Essentially, researchers are looking at platinum (IV) complexes with cisplatin cores and HDAC inhibitor ligands as possible anti-cancer drugs. These structures can help overcome resistance to cisplatin in cancer cells while reducing the associated side-effects. This finding suggests that researchers can enhance how well cisplatin targets DNA by reducing histone acetylation, which may lead to new and effective cancer treatments when ovarian cancer cells no longer respond to regular cisplatin treatment.
Publication citation:
Begum, S., Irvin, S.D., Cox, C.K. et al. (2024). Anti-ovarian cancer migration and toxicity characteristics of a platinum(IV) pro-drug with axial HDAC inhibitor ligands in zebrafish models. Invest New Drugs. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10637-024-01479-3