Abstract 4412: Piperine enhances the efficacy of 5 FU against liver cancer

Abstract

Abstract Liver cancer is one of the most devastating malignancies. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for >90% of primary liver malignancies and is the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Systemic chemotherapy is one of the most important treatment modalities for advanced HCC. Unfortunately, long-term treatment acquired resistance in HCC due to the activation of drug efflux pumps. A natural compound in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs is a potential approach to combat the side effects. In this study, we have demonstrated whether piperine (natural compound) could increase the effect of 5-FU in HCC cells. The cell viability (MTT) assay was performed to determine the optimal IC50 values of Piperine, 5-FU alone and in combination. Immunofluorescence study confirmed the effectiveness of combined drug; dead nuclei were found more within the cells treated by the combination compared to piperine or 5-FU alone. The combined drug treatment was most effective in inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis; accordingly, it showed noticeable increases in pro-apoptotic (BAK, BID), PARP and decreases in anti-apoptotic genes (BCL-XL) gene in a western blot and RT-PCR analysis. Further, in SK-HEP-1 cells, the combination upregulated the expression of cell cycle inhibitors (p21WAF1/CIP1, p27KIP), which, in turn, inhibited the expression of CDK2/ Cyclin D1 complex. Therefore, it blocks the transition of cells into G0/G1 to S phase. Taken together, we observed that the combination of 5-FU and Piperine resulted in a significant cytotoxicity and apoptosis as compared to alone. Our results suggest that piperine can be a potential agent in enhancing the efficacy of 5-FU in liver cancer treatment. These finding highlights the promising role of natural bioactive compounds and provides the rationale for further transitional researches. Citation Format: David Anwanwan, Santosh Kumar Singh, James W. Lillard, Manoj K. Mishra, Rajesh Singh. Piperine enhances the efficacy of 5 FU against liver cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4412.