Autocrine production of interleukin-8 confers cisplatin and paclitaxel resistance in ovarian cancer cells

► IL-8 secreted by OVCA cells promotes resistance of these cells to chemotherapy through decrease of proteolytic activation of caspase-3. ► IL-8-induced chemoresistance may be associated with increase of MDR1, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and XIAP, as well as activation of PI3K/Akt and Ras/MEK/ERK. ► Modulation of IL-8 expression or its related signaling pathway may be a promising strategy of treatment for drug-resistant OVCA.