Investigation of the Effects of Piperlongumine and Doxorubicin Combined Treatment on Cell Death via PTEN in HeLa Cells

Abstract

Doxorubicin (Dox), which is used in treating many types of cancer including cervix cancer nevertheless, its effect alone is low especially in recurrent cases. Therefore, investigating of agents that can increase the impact of Dox continues. The aim of the present study is to answer the question: Can Piperlongumine (PL) a natural alkaloid cause an increase in the efficacy of Dox in the HeLa cell line? In this study, the effects of Dox and PL on cell viability by MTT and Acridine orange/propidium iodide staining, and expression levels of the PTEN (Phosphatase and tensin homolog 10) gene by Real-Time PCR and Western-Blot were evaluated in HeLa cells. It was determined that PL combined with Dox increased cell death and suppressed cell proliferation. The PTEN gene expression was decreased in all experimental groups, but the PTEN protein phosphorylation increased in cultures treated with PL and when Dox/PL was combined. The fact that PL application increases the activation of PTEN, which is a tumor suppressor. This indicates that it can be used to increase the effectiveness of Dox in the treatment.