Fig. 1.

Combining the STAT3 decoy with erlotinib enhances inhibition of cell viability in vitro. A, UM-22B cells were transfected with 12.6 nM STAT3 decoy or mutant control decoy for 4 h. Transfection media were removed, and DMEM containing 10% FBS and 5 µM erlotinib was added. Cells were then counted after 72 h using trypan blue dye exclusion. When the STAT3 decoy was combined with erlotinib, cell viability was significantly reduced compared with STAT3 decoy alone (p = 0.004), erlotinib alone (p = 0.024), or erlotinib plus mutant control decoy (p = 0.028). B, similar results were seen for PCI-15B cells (p = 0.004, p = 0.024, and p = 0.016) when treated with 0.1 µM erlotinib and 38.3 nM STAT3 decoy. Cumulative results are shown from five separate experiments.