A Comparative Study of the Antiproliferative and Apoptotic Effects of Some Chemotherapeutic Drugs on Neuroblastoma Cells

Abstract

In this study, it was aimed to investigate the antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of nivolumab, cetuximab and gemcitabine used in the treatment of different cancer types as well as cisplatin and cyclophosphamide used in the treatment of neuroblastoma on SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. The effect of each chemotherapeutic on cell viability and the individual IC50 values were determined by the crystal violet method. To determine their apoptotic effects, RT-PCR and Annexin V-FITC apoptosis detection technique were used. The results indicated that all the used chemotherapeutic drugs showed dose-dependent cytotoxic effects and induced apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells. The IC50 values of cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, nivolumab, cetuximab, and gemcitabine were calculated as 10.91 µM, 0.54 µM, 30.26 μM 4.74 μM and 0.036 μM, respectively. After IC50 dose treatment of cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, nivolumab, cetuximab, and gemcitabine apoptotic cell rates were found as 21%, 12%, 16%, 10% and 39% respectively. It was determined that statistically significant changes in mRNA expression levels in almost all apoptosis-related genes occurred after chemotherapeutic drugs treatment. In conclusion, gemcitabine showed more antiproliferative and apoptotic effects on neuroblastoma cells than the other chemotherapeutics. It is clear that further studies that will elucidate the mechanism of action of gemcitabine may contribute to the treatment of neuroblastoma.