Investigating the Therapeutic Efficacy of a Novel Inhibitor GAP-107B8 on Ovarian Cancer Cells

Abstract

Ovarian cancers often develop resistance mechanisms against the standard platinum and taxane chemotherapy, which indicates the need for novel therapeutics to improve patient outcome. In vitro assays were performed to assess the effects and mechanism of action of a novel peptide, GAP-107B8, on ovarian cancer cell viability. Xenograft models were used to determine GAP-107B8’s effects on tumour burden in immune-incompetent mice. GAP-107B8 significantly reduced cell viability in ovarian cancer cell lines, although no synergistic effects with carboplatin were observed. This reduction in cell viability was due in part to apoptosis and may involve mechanisms leading to decreased pAKT, but without any change in pPKC levels. In vivo, GAP-107B8 had no effect on ovarian tumour burden, but significantly reduced ascites volume. The findings suggest that GAP-107B8 can reduce some malignant characteristics of cancer cells in vitro and in vivo and should be evaluated further as a potential therapeutic for ovarian cancer.