Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood. Cisplatin is widely used in pediatric malignancies. Silymarin is a polyflavonoid compound extracted from “milk thistle”. Pro-inflammatory cytokines have role in tumor growth and metastases of neuroblastoma cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate silymarin alone or with cisplatin combinations have any effects on proliferation and pro-inflammatory cytokine productions in neuroblastoma cells.

METHODS

C1300 mouse neuroblastoma cells were grown with DMEM medium in 37°C and 5%CO2 conditions. The cells were treated with silymarin, cisplatin and silymarin-cisplatin combinations and cell viability was evaluated with using WST-1 and apoptotic cell death with flow cytometric annexin-V/PI tests. Pro-inflammatory cytokines of IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α level were measured with mouse ELISA kits. Differences between the groups were evaluated with Kruskall- Wallis and Mann-Whitney-U analysis in SPSS 15.0 program and p<0.05 was accepted as a statistically significant.

RESULTS

Silymarin reduced the cell viability in a dose dependent manner when compared to control. Silymarin -cisplatin combination greatly reduced viability of cells compared to cisplatin alone. Cisplatin increased the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Pro-inflammatory cytokine levels did not change with silymarin alone. Combinations of silymarin and cisplatin decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine levels except IL-1β when compared to cisplatin alone.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Our results indicated that Silymarin is a potential anti-tumoral agent alone and with cisplatin combinations. Anti-tumoral effect of this combination possibly worked on decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokine levels. Anti-tumoral effect and mechanisms of silymarin should be proven by testing on the in-vivo animal models.