Apoptosis of Human Fibrosarcoma Cells HT-1080 Triggered by a Novel Nutrient Mixture via Induction of Caspases

M.W. Roomi, B. Bhanap, A. Niedzwiecki, M. Rath

Sarcoma Res Int. 2016; 3(3): 1036

 

Abstract: 

Fibrosarcoma is an aggressive and highly malignant cancer of connective tissue with the lung being the most common site of metastasis. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation are the mainstay of treatments, yet the prognosis is very poor. A novel Nutrient Mixture (NM) containing green tea extract, ascorbic acid, lysine, and proline exhibited anti-cancer effects in various cancers.

In our earlier studies, the NM considerably reduced the tumor weight and tumor burden in HT-1080 fibrosarcoma tumors induced in athymic mice. Based on the observation, we investigated whether this phenomenon and the anti-cancer effects were due to the induction of apoptosis. Human fibrosarcoma cells HT-1080 were cultured in complete DME media and the cells were treated with NM at 0-1000 µg/ml concentration. Cell cytotoxicity was measured by MTT assay, morphology by H&E staining, and the apoptosis by Green Caspases. NM showed no cytotoxicity at 100µg/ml, slight toxicity at 500µg/ml and maximum at 1000µg/ml. H&E staining at the NM dose of 100µg/ml showed a few cellular changes characteristic to apoptosis, while significant changes pertaining to apoptosis morphology were observed at 500 and 1000µg/ml. Live Green Caspases analysis showed cells in early and late apoptosis with increasing doses of NM. Our results suggest that NM may be a new chemotherapeutic strategy for fibrosarcoma patients and deserves further investigation as a potential agent in the treatment of this malignancy.

 

Key words:  Fibrosarcoma; HT-1080; Apoptosis; Cytotoxicity; MTT; Live Green Caspase

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