Armaghane Danesh Bimonthly Journal (Jun 2020)
Evaluation of Cytotoxic and Apoptotic Effects of Simvastatin in Bone Cancer Cell line(MG-63)
Abstract
Background & aim: Cancer is a mismatch between cell growth and death that results in excessive accumulation of cells. Bone cancer is a very serious type of cancer and occurs when osteoporotic cells have problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of simvastatin on bone cancer MG63 cell line. Methods: In the present experimental study conducted in May 2017 in the Medical Sciences Branch of Islamic Azad University, MG63 cells were cultured and subsequently incubated with different concentration of simvastatin for 24 hours. Afterwards, the IC50 dose was measured using MTT assay. The effects of simvastatin on cell death mechanisms such as apoptosis and necrosis were evaluated by flow cytometry. PCR test was used to evaluate the gene expression of caspase 3, 8 and 9 enzymes. Finally, the cells were treated with IC50 dose of simvastatin and then examined by Hoochst flow cytometry staining technique. The collected data were analyzed using t-test. Results: The results of MTT test indicated that simvastatin at a dose of 155 μg / ml killed 50% of cancer cells (IC50). On the other hand, flow cytometric evaluation revealed that MV63 cells treated with simvastatin (300 μg / ml) had more than 90% apoptotic cell death compared to the control group. Evaluation of caspase 3, 8 and 9 enzymes using real-time PCR technique displayed a significant difference in the expression of caspase 3 and 9 genes (p <0.001, but no significant difference was observed in the expression of caspase 8 gene (0.05). In Hochst staining technique, the discoloration of the cells in the treatment group compared to the control group indicated that the cell nucleus was dense and fragmented, which indicated apoptotic cell death. Conclusion: Finally, the results of the present study revealed that simvastatin in cell culture medium can induce cytotoxic and apoptotic effects in bone cancer cells (MG63 cell line), therefore, it is important to consider the possibility of using simvastatin in the treatment of bone cancer.
