TY - JOUR AB - The aim of the present study was to examine the role of ABT‑737, an inhibitor of B‑cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl‑2), in enhancing the effect of irradiation on uterine cervical cancer. Based on The Cancer Genomic Atlas (TCGA), Bcl‑2 mRNA expression was associated with the Tumor‑Node‑Metastasis stage of cervical cancer. Therefore, it was hypothesized that Bcl‑2 inhibition may decrease the progression of cervical cancer. ABT‑737 was added to irradiation treatment to evaluate its effectiveness in inhibiting cancer cell progression. SiHa and CaSki cervical cancer cells were selected for in vitro assays. Patients with advanced stage III uterine cancer had slightly increased mRNA expression levels of Bcl‑2 compared with patients with stage I cancer, although the difference was not significant. ABT‑737 and radiation administration induced a synergistic cytotoxic effect based on the MTT assay and flow cytometry results, where an increase in apoptosis was observed. The apoptotic percentages were significantly increased in the cells treated with a combination of ABT‑737 and irradiation. Loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and gain of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were detected by flow cytometry in CaSki and SiHa cells treated with ABT‑737 and radiation. Additionally, the protein expression levels of the cleaved forms of poly ADP ribose polymerase and caspase‑7 were increased following the combined treatment. In conclusion, ABT‑737 and irradiation may induce apoptosis via loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and a ROS‑dependent apoptotic pathway in CaSki and SiHa cells. The present study indicates that ABT‑737 may be a potential irradiation adjuvant when treating cervical cancer. AD - Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan, R.O.C. AU - Shen,Huang‑Pin AU - Wu,Wen‑Jun AU - Ko,Jiunn‑Liang AU - Wu,Tzu‑Fan AU - Yang,Shun‑Fa AU - Wu,Chih‑Hsien AU - Yeh,Chia‑Ming AU - Wang,Po‑Hui DA - 2019/10/01 DO - 10.3892/ol.2019.10755 EP - 4336 IS - 4 JO - Oncol Lett KW - ABT‑73 B‑cell lymphoma 2 irradiation uterine cervical cancer mitochondrial membrane potential apoptosis PY - 2019 SN - 1792-1074 1792-1082 SP - 4328 ST - Effects of ABT‑737 combined with irradiation treatment on uterine cervical cancer cells T2 - Oncology Letters TI - Effects of ABT‑737 combined with irradiation treatment on uterine cervical cancer cells UR - https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2019.10755 VL - 18 ER -