Anti-tumour pharmaceutical compositions capable of reducing drug resistance in tumour cells

摘要

The invention refers to compositions containing chemotherapy agents frequently used in cancer therapy, such as etoposide and cisplatin, in combination with an inhibitor of the interleukin 6 receptor complex signalling by gp130. Such compositions decrease the drug resistance of a tumour cell line. A specific embodiment of the invention uses a superantagonist of interleukin 6, the mutein of IL-6, Sant 7 and reported in the sequence listing as SEQ ID NO:1, which is capable of binding the sub-unit IL6-R alpha of the IL-6 receptor. Sant 7 indicated inhibits binding, by steric blocking, with the sub-unit gp130 of the IL-6 receptor complex. Transduction of the signal from this cytokine is in fact involved in the multiple drug resistance mechanisms that are typically developed by tumour cells following chemotherapy.