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Quercetin Potentiates the Antitumor Activity of Rituximab in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma by Inhibiting STAT3 Pathway

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Abstract

STAT3 pathway plays an important role in the growth of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cells. Here we investigated the antitumor activity of Quercetin, a flavonoid compound, in combination with rituximab in DLBCL cell lines in vitro. We found that Quercetin synergistically enhanced rituximab-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis in DLBCL cell lines. Moreover, we found Quercetin exerted inhibitory activity against STAT3 pathway and downregulated the expression of survival genes. These results suggest that combining the Quercetin with rituximab may present an attractive and potentially effective way for the treatment of DLBCL.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China

    Xin Li, Xinhua Wang, Mingzhi Zhang, Aimin Li & Zhenchang Sun

  2. Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China

    Qi Yu

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  1. Xin Li
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  2. Xinhua Wang
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  3. Mingzhi Zhang
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  4. Aimin Li
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  5. Zhenchang Sun
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  6. Qi Yu
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Correspondence to Qi Yu.

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Xin Li and Xinhua Wang contributed equally to this work.

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Li, X., Wang, X., Zhang, M. et al. Quercetin Potentiates the Antitumor Activity of Rituximab in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma by Inhibiting STAT3 Pathway. Cell Biochem Biophys 70, 1357–1362 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12013-014-0064-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12013-014-0064-8

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