Therefore, at the time of the diagnosis, the RCC is already metastasized reducing the five-year-survival to 60% in RCC patients.A novel nutrient mixture (NM) containing green tea extract, ascorbic acid, lysine, and proline exhibited anticancer effects in various cancers. In this study, we investigated whether the anti-cancer properties of NM were due to the induction of apoptosis. The RCC cells (786-0) 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, u-PA, MMP and TIMPs were measured by gelatinase, fibrin, and reverse zymography, cell morphology by H&E staining, apoptosis by Live Green Caspases. NM showed no significant effect on RCC cell growth, exhibiting slight toxicity at 100 µg and significant at 500 and 1000 µg/ml. RCC 786-0 cells treated at 500 and 1000 µg/ml NM and stained by H&E demonstrated obvious apoptotic cells with shrinkage and darkly stained and condensed nuclei and strong acidophilic cytoplasm. Using Live Green Caspases kit a significant number of early and late apoptotic RCC cells were seen at 500 and 1000 µg/ml NM. Our results suggest that NM induces apoptosis, which in turn down regulated u-PA and MMP and up regulated TIMPs. Therefore, NM may be a new therapeutic strategy for kidney cancer patients and deserves further investigation as a potential agent in the treatment of this malignancy.

Keywords: Kidney Cancer; 786-0; Apoptosis; Cytotoxicity; MTT; Live Green Caspase

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