Assessment of caroverine as a potential chemotherapeutical agent in HNSCC cell lines.

Abstract

Since the prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) still remains poor, identifying novel chemotherapeutic agents is of outmost importance. The anticancer potential of quinoxalines has been described in various tumor entities. Caroverine, also a quinoxaline derivative, has been shown to suppress tumor promotion factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of caroverine on HNSCC cell lines. The HNSCC cell lines SCC9, SCC25, CAL27, and FaDu were incubated with caroverine alone or in combination with cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or cetuximab. Cell viability was measured using the CCK-8 assay. The murine 3T3 fibroblast cell line was used to address tissue specificity. Apoptosis was visualized by immunohistochemistry. Caroverine showed a dose-dependent growth inhibition in all cell lines, IC50 values ranged from 75.69 to 179.80 µM. This effect was increased when caroverine was combined with cetuximab or 5-FU. Immunohistochemistry displayed more apoptosis after caroverine treatment compared to controls. Furthermore, caroverine alone had no growth inhibitory effect on 3T3 cells. For the first time, this study provides evidence that caroverine may serve as a supportive drug in the treatment of HNSCC patients.

• Authors: Georg Haymerle, Dietmar Thurnher, Lorenz Kadletz, Isabella Stanisz, Markus Brunner, Ulana Kotowski, Elisabeth Enzenhofer, Gregor Heiduschka
• Journal: European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol) Vol. 272 Issue 11 Pg. 3451-6 (Nov 2015) ISSN: 1434-4726 [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 25351499 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antineoplastic Agents
• Quinoxalines
• Cetuximab
• Cisplatin
• Fluorouracil
• caroverine

Topics

• Animals
• Antineoplastic Agents (administration & dosage)
• Apoptosis (drug effects)
• Carcinoma, Squamous Cell (drug therapy, pathology)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Cell Survival (drug effects)
• Cetuximab (pharmacology)
• Cisplatin (pharmacology)
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Fluorouracil (pharmacology)
• Head and Neck Neoplasms (drug therapy)
• Immunohistochemistry
• Mice
• Quinoxalines (administration & dosage)