Resveratrol potentiates the in vitro and in vivo anti-tumoral effects of curcumin in head and neck carcinomas

Abstract

The survival rate of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) patients has not considerably changed over the last two decades. Polyphenols inhibit the growth of cancer cells. We determined whether the combination of Resveratrol (RES) and Curcumin (CUR) enhanced their in vitro and in vivo antitumor activities on HNSCC cell lines compared to the single compounds. We provide evidence that RES potentiated the apoptotic effect and reduced the IC50 of CUR on HNSCC cell lines. The model of compounds interaction indicated the onset of an additive effect of the two compounds compared to the single treatment after decrease of their concentrations. RES+CUR compared to CUR increased the PARP-1 cleavage, the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, the inhibition of ERK1 and ERK2 phosphorylation, and the expression of LC3 II simultaneously with the formation of autophagic vacuoles. RES and CUR induced cytoplasmic NF-κB accumulation. RES+CUR administrations were safe in BALB/c mice and reduced the growth of transplanted salivary gland cancer cells (SALTO) more efficiently than CUR. Overall, combinations of CUR and RES was more effective in inhibiting in vivo and in vitro cancer growth than the treatment with CUR. Additional studies will be needed to define the therapeutic potential of these compounds in combination.

In vivo and in vitro effects of curcumin on head and neck carcinoma: a systematic review

“…Initiator caspases such as caspase 8 and caspase 9, which cleave inactive pro‐forms of effector caspases, were evaluated in eight included studies. Effector caspase 3 and caspase 7 were evaluated in 12 included studies . The intrinsic or mitochondrial apoptotic pathway is mostly controlled by members of the Bcl‐2 family, which may act as inhibitors or promoters of apoptosis .…”

Biological effects of in vitro THz radiation exposure in human foetal fibroblasts

“…Equal loading of protein was verified by Ponceau staining of the membranes and by analyzing actin expression. The assay was then performed as previously described [47].…”

Cancer-selective cytotoxic Ca2+ overload in acute myeloid leukemia cells and attenuation of disease progression in mice by synergistically acting polyphenols curcumin and carnosic acid

“…However, low bioavailability of these agents limits their therapeutic application, and the concentrations needed for retardation of tumor growth in rodents greatly exceed doses compatible with human use [27–29]. The utilization of the ability of polyphenols to synergistically enhance anticancer effects of one another in different models [30–33] has been suggested, among other approaches [28, 34], to improve their bioactivity in vivo . Using this combination strategy, we have previously shown that CUR and another polyphenol, carnosic acid (CA), combined at potentially bioavailable non-cytotoxic concentrations of each agent robustly triggered apoptosis in KG-1a and HL60 AML cells [35].…”