BH3 mimetic ABT-263 enhances the anticancer effects of apigenin in tumor cells with activating EGFR mutation

BACKGROUND: Mutated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is one of the most successful targets in cancer targeted therapy. While this treatment has benefited many patients with an activating EGFR mutation (EGFRm), almost all those who initially benefited will eventually develop acquired drug resistance (ADR) after a certain period of time. New therapeutic strategies need to be explored to treat EGFRm tumors and overcome or minimize this recurring ADR. RESULTS: Our data showed that apigenin alone has only mild inhibitory effects on EGFRm tumor cells. By drug screening, we found that ABT-263 can significantly enhance the antitumor activities of apigenin in tumor cells harbouring an activating EGFR mutation and AZD9291-resistant H1975 cells. Mechanistically, apigenin upregulated the expression of Noxa in EGFRm tumor cells by targeting the AKT-FoxO3a pathway, thereby synergizing with ABT-263 to suppress tumor cell growth and proliferation in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides a rationale for the clinical application of the combination treatment of apigenin and BH3 mimetics in the treatment of EGFRm tumors. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13578-019-0322-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.