ViscumTT induces apoptosis and alters IAP expression in osteosarcoma in vitro and has synergistic action when combined with different chemotherapeutic drugs

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Research Article

Sebastian Jaeger¹  Gwenda Kauczor²  Angelika Eggert²  Susann Kleinsimon²  Catharina Delebinski²  Georg Seifert² 

[1] Birken AG, Streiflingsweg 11, 75223, Niefern-Öschelbronn, Germany;Department of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Otto-Heubner-Centre for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine (OHC), Charitém, Universitätsmedizin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany;

关键词: Mistletoe;    Viscum album;    Triterpenic acids;    Osteosarcoma;    Apoptosis;    Chemotherapeutic drugs;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12906-016-1545-7

 received in 2016-08-30, accepted in 2016-12-22,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundOsteosarcoma is the most common bone tumor and is associated with a poor prognosis. Conventional therapies, surgery and chemotherapy, are still the standard but soon reach their limits. New therapeutic approaches are therefore needed. Conventional aqueous mistletoe extracts from the European mistletoe (Viscum album L.) are used in complementary cancer treatment. These commercial extracts are water-based and do not include water-insoluble compounds such as triterpenic acids. However, both hydrophilic and hydrophobic triterpenic acids possess anti-cancer properties. In this study, a whole mistletoe extract viscumTT re-created by combining an aqueous extract (viscum) and a triterpene extract (TT) was tested for its anti-cancer potential in osteosarcoma.MethodsTwo osteosarcoma cell lines were treated with three different mistletoe extracts viscum, TT and viscumTT to compare their apoptotic potential. For this purpose, annexin/PI staining and caspase-3, −8 and −9 activity were investigated by flow cytometry. To determine the mechanism of action, alterations in expression of inhibitors of apoptosis (IAPs) were detected by western blot. Apoptosis induction by co-treatment of viscum, TT and viscumTT with doxorubicin, etoposide and ifosfamide was examined by flow cytometry.ResultsIn vitro as well as ex vivo, the whole mistletoe extract viscumTT led to strong inhibition of proliferation and synergistic apoptosis induction in osteosarcoma cells. In the investigations of mechanism of action, inhibitors of apoptosis such as XIAP, BIRC5 and CLSPN showed a clear down-regulation after viscumTT treatment. In addition, co-treatment with doxorubicin, etoposide and ifosfamide further enhanced apoptosis induction, also synergistically.ConclusionViscumTT treatment results in synergistic apoptosis induction in osteosarcoma cells in vitro and ex vivo. Additionally, conventional standard chemotherapeutic drugs such as doxorubicin, etoposide and ifosfamide were able to dramatically enhance apoptosis induction. These results promise a high potential of viscumTT as an additional adjuvant therapy approach for osteosarcoma.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017