title: Assessment of caroverine as a potential chemotherapeutical agent in HNSCC cell lines.
abstract: Since the prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) still remains poor, identifying novel chemotherapeutic agents is of outmost importance. The anticancer potential of quinoxalines has been described in various tumor entities. Caroverine, also a quinoxaline derivative, has been shown to suppress tumor promotion factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of caroverine on HNSCC cell lines. The HNSCC cell lines SCC9, SCC25, CAL27, and FaDu were incubated with caroverine alone or in combination with cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or cetuximab. Cell viability was measured using the CCK-8 assay. The murine 3T3 fibroblast cell line was used to address tissue specificity. Apoptosis was visualized by immunohistochemistry. Caroverine showed a dose-dependent growth inhibition in all cell lines, IC50 values ranged from 75.69 to 179.80 µM. This effect was increased when caroverine was combined with cetuximab or 5-FU. Immunohistochemistry displayed more apoptosis after caroverine treatment compared to controls. Furthermore, caroverine alone had no growth inhibitory effect on 3T3 cells. For the first time, this study provides evidence that caroverine may serve as a supportive drug in the treatment of HNSCC patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Haymerle
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thurnher
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Lorenz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kadletz
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stanisz
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brunner
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Ulana
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kotowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Enzenhofer
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria. gregor.heiduschka@meduniwien.ac.at.
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Heiduschka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D000068818:Cetuximab / Q000494:pharmacology; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000494:pharmacology; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D011810:Quinoxalines / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D011810:Quinoxalines; D000068818:Cetuximab; D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil; C000957:caroverine
keywords: Cancer; Caroverine; Chemotherapy; HNSCC