Combined Anticancer Effects of Simvastatin and Arsenic Trioxide on Prostate Cancer Cell Lines Via Downregulation of the Vegf and Opn Isoforms Genes Publisher Pubmed



Mirzaei A¹ ; Rashedi S¹ ; Akbari MR^{2, 3} ; Khatami F¹ ; Aghamir SMK¹ Show Affiliations
Source: Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine Published:2022

Abstract

Arsenic trioxide (ATO) and statins have been demonstrated to have anti-neoplastic properties; however, the data regarding their combination therapy is limited. Thus, we aimed to study the effects of ATO, Simvastatin and their combination in proliferation, apoptosis and pathological angiogenesis in prostate cancer cell lines. The human prostate cell lines were treated with different concentrations of Simvastatin and ATO alone and combined to find effective doses and IC50 values. In addition, the percentage of apoptotic cells was evaluated by annexin/PI staining, and mRNA expression levels of the apoptotic gene, including OPN isoforms and VEGF, were investigated using real-time PCR. Our data displayed that Simvastatin (12 and 8 μM in PC3 and LNCaP cell lines respectively), ATO (8 and 5 μM in PC3 and LNCaP cell lines respectively), and also their combination (12 μM Simvastatin and 8 μM ATO in PC3, 8 μM Simvastatin and 5 μM ATO in LNCaP cell lines respectively) significantly increased the percentage of apoptotic cells. Also, we showed that the combination therapy by Simvastatin and ATO increased cell apoptosis and inhibited cell proliferation, providing anti-proliferative and anti-angiogenic properties, possibly via downregulation of the expression of VEGF and OPN genes. These results provide new perceptions regarding the anticancer roles of ATO and statins’ combination therapy in prostate cancer. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.