The Effect of Resveratrol or Curcumin on Head and Neck Cancer Cells Sensitivity to the Cytotoxic Effects of Cisplatin.

Marinela Bostan,Viviana Roman,Razvan Hainarosie,Georgiana Gabriela Petrică-Matei,Carmen Cristina Diaconu,Cristian Dragos Stefanescu,Nicoleta Radu

doi:10.3390/nu12092596

Abstract

Natural compounds can modulate all three major phases of carcinogenesis. The role of the natural compounds such as resveratrol (RSV) and curcumin (CRM) in modulation of anticancer potential of platinum-based drugs (CisPt) is still a topic of considerable debate. In order to enhance head and neck cancer (HNSCC) cells’ sensitivity to the cytotoxic effects of CisPt combined treatments with RSV or CRM were used. The study aim was to evaluate how the RSV or CRM associated to CisPt treatment modulated some cellular processes such as proliferation, P21 gene expression, apoptotic process, and cell cycle development in HNSCC tumor cell line (PE/CA-PJ49) compared to a normal cell line (HUVEC). The results showed that RSV or CRM treatment affected the viability of tumor cells more than normal cells. These natural compounds act against proliferation and sustain the effects of cisplatin by cell cycle arrest, induction of apoptosis and amplification of P21 expression in tumor cells. In conclusion, using RSV or CRM as adjuvants in CisPt therapy might have a beneficial effect by supporting the effects induced by CisPt.

Highlights

The heterogeneous nature, at the molecular level, of many types of cancer has hindered both the identification of specific targets and development of efficient therapeutic strategies against tumours.The most common types of treatment for cancer include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, which can be used either alone or in combination
The results of this study suggest the use of natural compounds CRM or RSV, as adjuvants in order to improve the response to CisPt therapy
The IC50 values were reported as a mean of three independent experiments ± standard deviation (S.D.)

Summary

Introduction

The heterogeneous nature, at the molecular level, of many types of cancer has hindered both the identification of specific targets and development of efficient therapeutic strategies against tumours. The most common types of treatment for cancer include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, which can be used either alone or in combination. These approaches are associated with significant morbidity and a dramatic reduction in quality of life. Regardless of the specificity and efficiency of monotherapy, it is difficult to obtain optimal cytotoxic effects on cancer cells because of their molecular adaptability [3]. Cisplatin (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum; CisPt) is the most effective and widely spread chemotherapy choice of treatment available for patients with recurrent and metastatic HNSCC [4]

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