Rapamycin enhances docetaxel-induced cytotoxicity in a androgen-independent prostate cancer xenograft model by survivin downregulation

► Rapamycin (RPM) enhances the susceptibility of PC3 cells to docetaxel. ► Low-dosage of docetaxel (DTX) did not reduce survivin expression levels in PC3 cells. ► Combination treatment of RPM with DTX suppressed the expression of surviving. ► SiRNA against survivin enhanced the susceptibility of PC3 cells to DTX. ► RPM and DTX cotreatment inhibited PC3 cell growth and decreased surviving in vivo.