Moxifloxacin Enhances the Antiproliferative and Apoptotic Effects of VP-16 but Inhibits Its Proinflammatory Effects in THP-1 and Jurkat Cells.

We previously reported that the fluoroquinolone moxifloxacin (MXF) inhibits NF-kB, mitogen-activated protein kinase activation and the synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines in activated human monocytic cells (AAC48:1974,2004). Since MXF acts on topoisomerase II (Topo II) in mammalian cells, we investigated its effect in combination with another Topo II inhibitor, VP-16, on cell proliferation (by the MTT method), cell cycle, caspase-3 activity and proinflammatory cytokine release in THP-1 and Jurkat cells. THP-1 cells were incubated for 24 h with 0.5–3 μg/ml VP-16 in the presence or absence of 5–20 μg/ml MXF. VP-16 induced a dose dependent decrease in cell proliferation. An additional 2.5-and 1.6-fold decrease in cell proliferation was observed upon incubation of the cells with 0.5 or 1 μg/ml VP-16 and 20 μg/ml MXF, respectively (up to 69% inhibition). To further elucidate the mechanism of the antiproliferative activity of MXF, its effect on cell cycle progression was investigated. In control cultures 1%, 45%,18% and 36% of cells were in G0, G1, S and G2/M phases at 24 h, respectively. In contrast, in cultures treated with 1 μg/ml VP-16 and VP-16+ 20 μg/ml MXF, the number of cells in G1 decreased to 5.4 and 6.5%, respectively, while the number of cells in S phase increased to 25.5 and 42%, respectively and the number of cells in G2/M cells increased to 60 and 44%, respectively. These data provide evidence for S-G2/M cell cycle arrest induced by VP-16 and that addition of MXF shifted the S-G2/M arrest more towards the S phase. Since the antiproliferative effects of MXF could also be attributed to apoptotic cell death in addition to cell cycle arrest, we investigated the effect of the drugs on apoptosis. Using the fluorogenic assay for caspse-3 activity, we show that incubation of THP-1 cells for 6 h with 1.5 μg/ml VP-16 resulted in 630±120 unit/50μg protein of caspase-3 activity while the combination of 1.5 μg/ml VP-16 and 20 μg/ml MXF enhanced caspase-3 activity up to 1700±340 units/50μg protein (vs.233±107 in control cells), indicating that MXF synergises with VP-16 in activation of caspase-3. In Jurkat cells, the addition of 0.5 or 1 μg/ml VP-16, did not affect cell proliferation while in the presence of 20 μg/ml MXF and 1 μg/ml VP-16 there was a 62% decrease in cell proliferation (p