No abstract

Our aim was to investigate whether combining two powerful antioxidants such as Trolox and Quercetin could enhance their toxicity against breast and ovarian cancer cells. Human ovarian carcinoma cells from the A2780 line and human mammary gland carcinoma cells belonging to the T47D-KBluc line were incubated in RPMI-1640 supplemented with 50 µM Trolox and various Quercetin concentrations (25 µM, 50 µM and 100 µM). After 24 hours, several test were conducted: cells were stained with trypan blue and the number of viable versus dead cells was counted; cells were stained with Hoechst 33258 and propidium iodide to investigate the incidence of apoptosis and necrosis; cell activity and proliferation was assessed using the MTT test. In the A2780 line 50 µM Trolox + 25µM Quercetin increased the number of apoptotic cells and enzyme activity in these cells, without influencing viability. On the other hand, in the T47D-KBluc line the 50 µM Trolox + 100 µM combination enhanced necrosis and thus reduced the percentages of metabolically active cells. Together with this concentration, a mix made of 50 µM Trolox and 25 µM Quercetin also reduced cell viability. Our research indicates that in combination with Trolox, low concentrations of Quercetin induce apoptosis in human ovarian cancer cells, while high concentrations induce necrosis in human breast cancer cells. Quercetin concentrations influence this response significantly. Combining Quercetin with Trolox can enhance their toxicity against breast and ovarian cancer cells.