Plitidepsin has a dual effect inhibiting cell cycle and inducing apoptosis via Rac1/JNK activation in human melanoma cells.
Munoz-Alonso MJ, Gonzalez-Santiago L, Zarich N, Martinez T, Alvarez E, Rojas JM, Munoz A
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomedicas "Alberto Sols" CSIC and Pharma Mar SA.
Melanoma is the most aggressive skin cancer and a serious health problem worldwide because of its increasing incidence and the lack of satisfactory chemotherapy for late stages of the disease. The marine depsipeptide plitidepsin (Aplidin((R))) is an anti-tumoral agent under Phase II clinical development against several neoplasias including melanoma. We report that plitidepsin has a dual effect on the human SK-MEL-28 and UACC-257 melanoma cell lines: at low concentrations (