Table 3 The most important anticancer synergistic effects of cucurbitacin B in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs
From: Cucurbitacins as potential anticancer agents: new insights on molecular mechanisms
Type of cancer | Type of chemotherapeutic agents combined with cucurbitacin B | Experimental model | Main results | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Breast cancer | Imatinib mesylate | In vitro MCF-7 cells | Anticancer synergistic effects ↓cell proliferation ↑apoptosis | [86] |
Gemcitabine docetaxel | In vitro MDA-MB-231 cells | Synergistic effects ↓cell proliferation, ↑apoptosis | [87] | |
In vivo mice | ↓tumour volume No signs of increased toxicity | |||
Ionizing radiation | In vitro 4T1 cells | Blocks cancer cells in the G2/M phase ↑apoptosis, ↓cancer cells growth ↓p-STAT3, ↓c-Myc, ↓Bcl-2, ↓Bcl-xL, ↑caspase-9, ↑p21, ↑p53 | [88] | |
Pancreatic cancer | SCH772984, an ERK inhibitor | In vitro HPAC cells | ↑apoptosis, ↓cancer cells growth ↓EGFR, ↓PI3K/Akt/mTOR, ↓STAT3, ↑Bim, ↓McL-1, ↓Bcl-2, ↓Bcl-xl, ↓survivin, ↑cucurbitacin B sensitivity | [89] |
In vivo mice | ↓ tumour growth | |||
Colorectal cancer | Gefitinib | In vitro HT-29, HCT-116 cells | Cell cycle inhibition ↑apoptosis, ↓EGFR, ↓JAK/STAT | [90] |
Imatinib mesylate | In vitro SW480 cells | ↓cell proliferation ↑apoptosis ↓MMP-2, ↑degradation of extracellular matrix | [86] | |
Ovarian cancer | Cisplatin | In vitro A2780 cells | Cytotoxicity against the ovarian cancer cell line | [91] |
Paclitaxel | In vitro A2780/Taxol cells | Dose- and time-dependent cytotoxicity effect ↑G2/M phase arrest of the cell cycle, ↑p53, ↑p21, ↓Bcl-2, ↓caspase-3, ↓P-gp | [92] | |
Osteosarcoma | Methotrexate | In vitro human osteosarcoma cells | ↓AKT, ↓mTOR | [93] |