Inhibitory effects of everolimus in combination with paclitaxel on adriamycin-resistant breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of paclitaxel in combination with mTOR inhibitor everolimus on adriamycin-resistant breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 (MDA-MB-231/ADR). Materials and methods: MDA-MB-231/ADR cells were treated with different concentrations of paclitaxel and everolimus. The IC50 values after 48 h of treatment were measured by the MTT assay. The apoptosis rate and cell cycle were detected by flow cytometry. The protein expressions of Akt, PI3K, mTOR, p-pI3K, p-AKT and p-mTOR were detected by Western blot. Results: When paclitaxel at ≥1.56 μg/ml was used, the growth of MDA-MB-231/ADR cells was inhibited more significantly than that of control group (P