Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 4, 2026

Genome-wide RNAi Screening to Identify Host Factors That Modulate Oncolytic Virus Therapy
Published on: April 3, 2018
Lopinavir-Ritonavir Combination Induces Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Kills Urological Cancer Cells
Kazuki Okubo1, Makoto Isono1, Takako Asano1
1Department of Urology, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Japan.
Background/Aim:
Induction of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is a novel approach to cancer treatment. This study investigated the ability of the clinically feasible combination of the human immunodeficiency virus protease inhibitors lopinavir and ritonavir to induce ER stress killing urological cancer cells.
Materials And Methods:
Renal cancer cells (769-P, 786-O) and bladder cancer cells (UMUC-3, T-24) were used to investigate the ability of the combination to induce ER stress and its mechanism of action.
Results:
The combination inhibited the growth of both renal and bladder cancer cells synergistically by inducing ER stress. The combination-induced ER stress increased the expression of AMP-activated protein kinase and suppressed the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway. It also increased the expression of a tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) receptor and thereby sensitized the cancer cells to TRAIL.
Conclusion:
The combination of lopinavir and ritonavir acts against urological cancer cells by inducing ER stress synergistically.
More Related Videos
07:23Dual CRISPR-Interference Strategy for Targeting Synthetic Lethal Interactions Between Non-Coding RNAs in Cancer Cells
Published on: May 30, 2025
10:29Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship, Activity Prediction, and Molecular Dynamics of Non-nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors
Published on: May 9, 2025
Related Concept Videos
Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers
Retrovirus Life Cycles
Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...