Berlin, Ian; Kenealey, Jason. (Brigham Young University)
Faculty Advisor: Kenealey, Jason (Life Science; Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science)
Prostate cancer accounts for 9.9% of all new cancer cases in the United States annually, and thought it has high 5-year survival rate of 98%, but its prognosis changes if the cancer becomes drug resistant or metastases. Natural compounds are often used and studied for their potential chemotherapeutic effects or their sensitizing effects which increases the cancer cells susceptibility to treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine is a common source for finding bioactive small molecules which may have chemotherapeutic effects. This study focused on 9 putative natural compounds and their effectiveness of treating PC-3 prostate cancer cells. First their IC50s were calculated and then used in Mixture Design Response Surface Methodology (MDRSM) to determine the optimal mixture ratio and used in Chou Talalay statistical analysis to determine if combination effects were synergistic, antagonistic or additive. The compounds used in ascending order starting at the most potent or lowest IC50 to highest; Triptolide, .01819uM (Ttd), Shikonin, .6002uM (Shk), Curcumin 20.83uM (Cur), Emodin, 57.38uM (Em), Wogonin, 97.87uM (Wo) Berberine, 101.4uM (BB), Silibinin, 106.2uM (or Silybin) (Sy), Epigallocatechin gallate, 272.6uM (EGCG), and beta Elemene, 304.3uM (beta-E). Emodin, Silibinin and EGCG all appeared to act primarily via cell cycle inhibition and their effectiveness was found to increase in combination with other small molecules. The ideal combination was provided a multi-faced approach reduce cell viability which suggests it may help treat prostate cancer cells in vivo either in tandem or alone.