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Cytotoxicity of ketoconazole in malignant cell lines

  • Original Articles
  • Cytotoxicity, Ketoconazole
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Summary

The cytotoxic effects of ketoconazole, an antifungal agent known to have some activity against human prostate cancer, adrenal cancer, and male metastatic breast cancer, were evaluated using colony-growth and clonogenic assays in eight malignant cell lines. The cytotoxicity of ketoconazole showed a dose-and time-dependent pattern, with the following concentrations, inhibiting 90% of the growing colonies (IC90): MCF 7 (human breast cancer) 7.25 μg/ml, T 47 D (human breast cancer) 9.0 μg/ml, MiaPaCa (human pancreatic carcinoma) 10.0 μg/ml, COLO 357 (human pancreatic carcinoma) 9.5 μg/ml, HCT 8 (human colonic adenocarcinoma) 27.1 μg/ml, DU 145 (human prostatic cancer) 40.0 μg/ml, AR 42 J (rat pancreatic carcinoma) 9.0 μg/ml, and L1210 (murine leukemia) 8.6 μg/ml. Since a concentration of 10 μg/ml can be achieved in humans, the use of ketoconazole in human malignancies might be worthy of clinical evaluation.

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This investigation was supported in part by a grant from the German Volkswagen Foundation, Hannover, Federal Republic of Germany and by a gift from Dr Virgil Gianelli, Stockton, California

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Rochlitz, C.F., Damon, L.E., Russi, M.B. et al. Cytotoxicity of ketoconazole in malignant cell lines. Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. 21, 319–322 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00264198

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00264198

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