Therapeutic efficacy of ABT-737, a Bcl-2 inhibitor, in a canine melanoma cell line

The small molecule inhibitor, ABT-737, inhibits Bcl-2 that is overexpressed in many tumor cell lines and, in combination with an anticancer drug, can strongly enhance proapoptotic activity. In the present study, we evaluated the inhibitory activity of ABT-737 on the survival of a canine melanoma cell line (MCM-N1). MCM-N1 cell viability was decreased following 24- and 48-hr culture with ABT-737, depending on ABT-737 concentration, while cell viability was unchanged in controls. ABT-737 synergized with carboplatin to promote cell death. Notably, approximately 50% of MCM-N1 cells survived following culture with 2-4 μg/ml of carboplatin; whereas, less than 20% of MCM-N1 cells survived following culture with ABT-737 (1 mM) plus carboplatin (2-10 μg/ml).