The effect of the combined therapy, irinotecan and cucurbitacin I, on colorectal cancer cells (In vitro)

Aim: Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers observed in men and women in the world, today in many countries after cardiovascular disease it is leading cause of death in the ranking of second place. One of the many commonly chemotherapeutic drugs used in metastatic and recurrent colorectal cancer is irinotecan, which is also been the topoisomerase I inhibitor. As to Cucurbitacin I is a selective strong inhibitor of the JAK2 / STAT3 signaling pathway. In this the study we aimed to investigate the effects of use of Cucurbitacin I alone and together with irinotecan which have apoptotic and antiproliferative effects on SW620 and LS174T colon cancer cell lines. Material and Method: Under this purpose MTT test which is a cell culture techniques, Wound Healing and Clonogenic tests were performed in SW620 and LS174T cell lines. Results: It was determined that when administered separately, Cucurbitacin I and irinotecan led the cells to apoptosis In SW620 and LS174T cells by blocking cell proliferation. It was observed that further increase anticarcinogenic effect after the implementation of Cucurbitacin I and irinotecan together. Conclusion: In conclusion, our study remarks in cancer treatment, use of Cucurbitacin I with other chemotherapeutic agents to be appropriate, depending on apoptotic and anti- proliferative effect at low dose and duration of reach, it is noteworthy that may be clinically useful. In addition, determination of the exact molecular effects of cucurbitacins, will allow the identification of new molecular targetsfor for colon cancer treatment. Key words: Clonogenic test, Colorectal cancer cells (SW620 and LS174T), Cucurbitacin I, Irinotecan, MTT test, Wound Healing test.