Cytotoxic Effects of Vitamin D3 on Tumor Cell Lines

Abstract

Vitamin D3 is a potent antiproliferative agent against various tumor cells in vitro. Here, the results of Vitamin D3 study as a potential antitumor therapy in vitro are presented. Applying antiproliferative 3(4,5-dimethyl- 2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-terazolium bromide assays, the inhibitory effects of the Vitamin D were measured. The following cancer cell lines were employed: L20B (normal cell line) and RD (malignant rhabdomyosarcoma). Both cell lines were cultivated in 96-wells culture plates in the presence and absence of different doses of Vitamin D (10–6, 10–8, and 10–10 μg/ml) for 24 and 48 h. In vitro results of cytotoxic effects were variable on both cell lines, according to dose and exposure time, after 24 h exposure of RD, the highest concentration of Vitamin D3(10−6 μg/ml) treatment had significant effect in decreasing cell proliferation from O.D (0.4570 ± 0.0302) to (0.1540 ± 0.0017) as compared with negative control, with increasing concentrations the cytotoxicity is increased directly proportional; thus, the lowest cytotoxic effect was at the lowest concentration of both Vitamin D3 (10−12 μg/ml). While after 48 h, the same concentration of Vitamin D3 shows an increase in proliferation from 0.3710 ± 0.0023 to 0.4597 ± 0.0017 on the RD cell line. While a significant increase in L20B cell proliferation was observed after 24 h treatment at the concentration (10−6 μg/ml) from 0.3570 ± 0.0011 to 0.0330 ± 0.0017, when compared with the negative control. However, after 48 h treatment, a significant increases the proliferation of cells as shown from O.D 0.2927 ± 0.0008 to 0.4300 ± 0.0011, respectively. Thus, the present study was aimed to evaluate the antiproliferative property of Vitamin D and its relation to inhibition of cancer cell growth.