Cytotoxicity of vinorelbine and resveratrol in a caco-2 cell line

Purpose: To determine the cytotoxicity of the anticancer agent vinorelbine (VIN) in combination with the natural product resveratrol (RES).

Methods: Caco-2 cells (10⁶) were seeded and cultured in essential media for 24hrs in 96-well plates. The cultured cells were then treated for 3, 24 and 48 hrs with VIN, RES and VIN + RES. Control cultures were allowed to grow without any treatment. After the treatment period the cells were washed with fresh culture media. Cell proliferation inhibition was determined by a CellTiter 96® AQueous Non-Radioactive Cell Proliferation Assay (MTS). Cytotoxicity was determined at a drug concentration range of 0.008-100 mcg/ml and the optical density of the viable cells measured at a wavelength of 490 nm. Reduction in proliferation by 50% (IC₅₀) of inhibition and extent of inhibition was determined.

Results: Table 1: Concentration of PAC and VIN for 50% inhibition (IC₅₀) and extent of inhibition at the 24-hour incubation period.

Formulation	IC50 (mcg/ml)	Extent (%)
VIN	32	35.33
RES	40	13.91

Table 2: Percent inhibition of VIN alone compared to VIN+RES combination at identical concentrations at the 24-hour incubation period.

Formulations	12.5 (mcg/ml)	25 (mcg/ml)	50 (mcg/ml)
VIN	9.5	14.99	21.22
VIN + RES	13.85	15.62	15.63
Percent change compared to VIN alone	45 %	4 %	26 %

Conclusion: VIN and RES exhibit cytotoxic effects on caco-2 cells. At low concentrations (12.5 mcg/ml), RES increases the cytotoxic effect of VIN. Further experiments will be conducted to determine the cytotoxic effect of the VIN + RES combination in a breast cancer cell line, MDA.