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An Extract of the Herb E Zhu Synergizes with the Topoisomerase II Inhibitor Etoposide to Kill Cancer Cells in vitro
Author(s) -
Smith Jarrod A.,
Schledewitz Kari,
Mortensen Luke,
Strom David
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.6.a1190-b
Subject(s) - etoposide , teniposide , podophyllotoxin , pharmacology , topoisomerase , topotecan , doxorubicin , medicine , chemistry , in vitro , chemotherapy , stereochemistry , biochemistry
In recent years there has been increased interest in the effects of complimentary and alternative medicine in cancer treatment. In an experiment involving several common chemotherapeutic agents, the herb E Zhu was found to exhibit a synergistic relationship when combined with etoposide, a topoisomerase II inhibitor. The ultimate goal of this study is to determine if this herbal supplement has the potential to expand the efficacy of chemotherapeutics in use today. The experimental model is the 32D cell line (mouse promyelocytic leukemia), which was exposed to E Zhu and various chemotherapeutic agents including: taxol, doxorubicin, methotrexate, busulfan and etoposide. Cell death (apoptosis) was measured via flow cytometry, the results then plotted on a standard dose response curve for analysis. The LD50 of etoposide went from 61 μM to 37 μM with the E Zhu extract indicating a synergistic relationship while the other drugs showed no effect. Additional experiments are underway to evaluate the effects of E Zhu with topotecan and teniposide. In addition, we are testing other cancer cell lines and we are currently fractionating the E Zhu extract in order to identify the active ingredient(s) responsible for this synergistic effect. By expanding the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs, we have the opportunity to affect resistance, lessen side effects, and increase survival rates.