Effects of the Medicago scutellata trypsin inhibitor (MsTI) on cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity in human breast and cervical cancer cells.
BACKGROUND
Snail medic (Medicago scutellata L.) seeds exhibit a significantly higher content of a trypsin inhibitor than other Medicago species. This inhibitor belongs to the Bowman-Birk family of serine protease inhibitors (BBI) and exhibits a good sequence homology with the BBI from soybean, while presenting some differences. It has been suggested that BBIs have antitumoral and radio-protective activity.


METHODS
In order to assess whether the inhibitor from Medicago scutellata (MsTI) seeds show similar properties to those of BBI from soybean with respect to potentiation of cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity, we evaluated the effects of MsTI on cisplatin-induced cell killing in MCF7 human breast carcinoma cells and HeLa human cervical carcinoma cells.


RESULTS
The 24-hour treatment of MsTI in the cell culture medium decreased the clonogenic survival of MCF7 and HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner and enhanced cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity. The presence of MsTI during the entire incubation period reduced the D37 of cisplatin by 40% in both the cell lines.


CONCLUSIONS
MsTI could be an useful agent for the potentiation of cisplatin-mediated cancer treatment.
Lanza
Annalisa
A
Divisione di Oncologia Medica, Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri, via Ferrata 8, 27100 Pavia, Italy. alanza@fsm.it
Tava
Aldo
A
Catalano
Maddalena
M
Ragona
Laura
L
Singuaroli
Ilaria
I
Robustelli della Cuna
Francesco Saverio
FS
Robustelli della Cuna
Gioacchino
G
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005260:Female; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D000455:Medicago sativa / Q000737:chemistry*; D014358:Trypsin Inhibitor, Bowman-Birk Soybean / Q000494:pharmacology; D014361:Trypsin Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*
D014358:Trypsin Inhibitor, Bowman-Birk Soybean; D014361:Trypsin Inhibitors; D002945:Cisplatin