COX-2-independent effects of celecoxib sensitize lymphoma B cells to TRAIL-mediated apoptosis

Despite therapeutic advances, non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) remain incurable. They form a group of neoplasms strongly dependent on their inflammatory microenvironment, which plays an important supportive role in tumor B-cell survival and in the resistance to antitumor immune response. New therapies must consider both tumor cells and their surrounding microenvironment

Stromal cells, derived from bone marrow or lymph nodes, and B cells from follicular lymphoma patients were cocultured or cultured alone with celecoxib treatment, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, and/or TRAIL, a promising cytotoxic molecule for cancer therapy.

In this study, we show that follicular lymphoma stromal cells produce large amounts of PGE2. This production is abrogated after celecoxib treatment, targeting the COX-2 isoenzyme involved in PGE2 synthesis. Furthermore, we demonstrate that celecoxib increases apoptosis in NHL B-cell lines and in primary follicular lymphoma B cells cocultured with stromal cells, but independently of the PGE2/COX-2 axis. Finally, celecoxib increases the apoptotic activity of TRAIL. We provide evidence that celecoxib affects proliferation and sensitizes NHL B-cell lines to apoptosis through COX-2-independent effects by slowing down the cell cycle and decreasing the expression of survival proteins, such as Mcl-1.

These data suggest new potent strategies for NHL therapy combining drugs targeting both tumor B cells and survival signals provided by the tumor microenvironment.