Rapamycin enhanced the inhibiting effect of Dasatinib on cell proliferation and cell cycle progression in A549 cells.

<p>(A) The concentration-dependent effect of Rapamycin on the anticancer activity of Dasatinib in A549 cells. As detailed in the “<i>Methods</i>”, A549 cells were treated with vehicle control (0.1% DMSO) or Dasatinib (5, 10, 25, and 50 nM) in the presence and absence of Rapamycin (20, 50, and 100 nM). Viable cell numbers were analyzed at 72 h after the co-treatment. (B) Effects of Rapamycin on the temporal changes of Dasatinib-induced growth inhibition in A549 cells. Cells were treated with vehicle control (0.1% DMSO), Dasatinib (10 nM) with or without Rapamycin (100 nM). Cell numbers were measured at 0, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h after the treatment. (C) Effects of Dasatinib and Rapamycin on the cell cycle distribution. A549 cells were treated with Dasatinib (10 nM) or Rapamycin (100 nM) for 96 h and analyzed by flow cytometry after PI staining. Results are expressed as the average percentage of cells at G0/G1, S, and G2/M phase from three independent experiments. (D) Effects of Dasatinib and Rapamycin on the apoptosis in A549 cells. Cells were treated with Dasatinib (10 nM) or Rapamycin (100 nM) for 96 h and the apoptotic rates were determined by flow cytometry with Annexin-V and PI staining. Columns, mean of three determinations; bars, SD. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01.