Lovastatin enhances in vitro radiation-induced apoptosis of rat B-cell lymphoma cells.

Our previous demonstration of an antimetastatic effect of lovastatin, both in rat sarcoma and lymphoma tumor-models, as well as the fact that lovastatin and radiation are able to stop the cell cycle in different phases, suggested the feasibility of a combined treatment. We studied the effect of the in vitro combined treatment of a B-cell rat lymphoma (L-TACB) with lovastatin and irradiation. The results herein obtained provide new information about the role of statins as radiosensitizers. The antitumor effect of the combined treatment was higher than that elicited by either treatment alone. This effect could be a consequence, at least in part, of an enhanced apoptosis.