Evaluation of synergistic effects of cisplatin and methotrexate on proliferation and death of colorectal cancer cells

Cisplatin (CDDP) is one of the most frequently used chemotherapy drugs, displays a strong therapeutic effect against cancer. Predominantly, CDDP binds to the DNA, prevents transcription and replication, and induces programmed cell death. Nevertheless, some types of cancer, like colorectal cancer, are very resistant to cisplatin. It leads to a large number of side effects and tumor relapse in treated patients. To overcome these problems, combination chemotherapy is a superior treatment strategy. The present study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of the combination of CDDP and methotrexate (MTX) against colon cancer. So, the effect of cytotoxicity and induction of apoptosis of a single drug (CDDP or MTX) or combination of CDDP plus MTX on CT۲۶ colorectal cancer were studied, by MTT assay and Ao/EtBr staining. The results were revealed an intense synergistically cytotoxic effect in CT۲۶ colorectal cancer when they were co-treated with CDDP and MTX. Also, staining of samples with Ao/EtBr showed an increase in induction of apoptosis, as programmed death, in CDDP and MTX-treated cells, compared with that in single drug-treated cells.

کلیدواژه ها:

Cancer ، Combination therapy ، Cisplatin ، Methotrexate ، CT۲۶ cells