Controversial effect on Erk activation of some cytotoxic drugs in human LOVO colon cancer cells

Abstract

The use of some classic antibiotics was recently shown to inhibit growth and to induce apoptosis in human LOVO colon cancer cells. In this study, we describe that ciprofloxacin (CI), trimebutine maleate (COL) and tiemonium methylsulfate (VIS) greatly inhibit cell proliferation in vitro. Proliferation inhibition reached its maximum at 10^–4M, 10^–3M and 10^–2M, respectively, for COL, CI and VIS. Moreover, phospho-extracellular-regulated kinase was totally abrogated in non-apoptotic cytotoxicity of VIS but decreases or increases in the apoptotic inhibition, respectively, of COL and CI treatments.

Abbreviations: CI: ciprofloxacin; COL: trimebutine maleate; VIS: tiemonium methylsulfate; MAPK/Erk: mitogen-activated protein kinases/extracellular-regulated kinase

• Colorectal cancer
• ciprofloxacin
• Erk activation
• proliferation
• trimebutin maleate
• tiemonium methylsulfate

Declaration of interest

This work was supported by the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technology of Tunisia.