Objectives: To study the growth-inhibitory effects of cisplatin, paclitaxel and fenretinide on human epithelial ovarian cancer cell line (SKOV-3) and to determine whether fenretinide can synergy with the first two drugs.
Study design: Experimental study
Material and Method: Human epithelial ovarian cancer cell line (SKOV-3) was cultured. Different concentrations of cisplatin, paclitaxel and fenretinide were added into cells. The LD50 concentraion of each drug was measured. The number of viable cells was determined by MTT (dimethyl thiozolyl-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide) assay. The interactions between fenretinide-cisplatin and fenretinide-paclitaxel were represented as percent inhibition of viable cells.
Results: The LD50 concentrations of cisplatin, paclitaxel and fenretinide were 1.5 g/ml, 27 nmol/ml and 0.4 mol/ml, respectively. The percent inhibition of viable cells of cisplatin was 35%, 70% and 74% (at 1, 2 and 2.5 g/ml), paclitaxel was 5%, 9% and 43% (at 5, 10 and 20 nmol/ml) and fenretinide was 9%, 12% and 25% (at 0.025, 0.05 and 0.1 mol/ml), respectively. The growth-inhibitory effects of the cisplatin-fenretinide combination: 1+0.025, 2+0.05 and 2.5+0.1 and paclitaxel-fenretinide combination: 5+0.025, 10+0.05 and
20+0.1 were 100% with statistically significance. These combinations of fenretinide with either cisplatin or paclitaxel demonstrated the synergistic growth-inhibitory effects.
Conclusion: Combinations of fenretinide with either cisplatin or paclitaxel demonstrated the synergistic growth-inhibitory effects. From our results, we expected that the using of fenretinide in combination with cisplatin or paclitaxel can possibly lower the dosage of these drugs. Therefore, the side effects and toxicities of drugs could be reduced.

Keywords: Cisplatin, Paclitaxel, Fenretinide, SKOV-3, Synergistic growth-inhibitory effects