The investigation of antiproliferative effects of quercetin, curcumin and their combinations on breast cancer cell lines

Abstract

Objective: Breast cancer is a type of cancer that has high malignancy and mortality rates in women and is frequently seen in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Flavonoids such as quercetin and curcumin are known to have an ability to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. The aim of this study was to determine the antiproliferative effect of quercetin and curcumin which are flavonoids known to have anticancer properties on human metastatic and non metastatic breast cancer cell lines of alone and in combination usage. Material and Method: Cell growth and cytotoxicity of quercetin, curcumin and quercetin:curcumin combinations were measured with MTT assay both on M4A4 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines. Combosyn program was used to determine IC50 and combination index (CI) values. Result and Discussion: Half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of quercetin for 72 hours were 49 μM and 120 μM on M4A4 and MCF-7 cells, respectively. IC50 doses for curcumin on M4A4 and MCF-7 cells were determined as 27 μM and 54 μM, respectively. It was determined that quercetin:curcumin combinations applied were shown a synergistic and antagonistic effect on MCF-7 and M4A4 cells. It was found that both quercetin and curcumin treatment inhibit cell viability in a dose and time-dependent manner. Findings show that combination with quercetin and curcumin polyphenol can be used in non-metastatic breast cancer, while different combination studies are needed for metastatic breast cancer.