Induction of cancer-specific cytotoxicity towards human prostate and skin cells using quercetin and ultrasound.
Bioflavonoids, such as quercetin, have recently emerged as a new class of chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of various cancer types, but are marred by their low potency and poor selectivity. We report that a short application of low-frequency ultrasound selectively sensitises prostate and skin cancer cells against quercetin. Pretreatment of cells with ultrasound (20 kHz, 2 W cm(-2), 60 s) selectively induced cytotoxicity in skin and prostate cancer cells, while having minimal effect on corresponding normal cell lines. About 90% of the viable skin cancer cell population was lost within 48 h after ultrasound-quercetin (50 microM) treatment. Ultrasound reduced the LC50 of quercetin for skin cancer cells by almost 80-fold, while showing no effect on LC50 for nonmalignant skin cells.
Paliwal
S
S
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5080, USA.
Sundaram
J
J
Mitragotri
S
S
D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011467:Prostate / Q000187:drug effects*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D011794:Quercetin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014465:Ultrasonics
D011794:Quercetin