COMBINED EFFECT OF SILIBININ AND SPERMINE ON CYTOMORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PROSTATE CANCER CELLS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15407/oncology.2026.01.017Keywords:
prostate cancer, LNCaP and DU-145 cell lines, spermine, silibinin, cell cycle, cytotoxicity, apoptosisAbstract
Summary. Morphological changes in human prostate cancer (PCa) cells in vitro were studied with the combined use of spermine (Spn) and the plant-derived aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) inhibitor silibinin (Sil). Aim: to study the modifications of cytomorphological features of PCa cells caused by the action of Sil alone and in combination with Spn. Material and methods: the objects of the study were highly differentiated androgen-sensitive cells of the LNCaP line and poorly differentiated androgenresistant cells of the DU-145 line. Cytomorphological changes were examined using an optical microscope on fixed preparations stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Results: Sil demonstrated antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects on LNCaP cells, proportionally dependent on its concentration. The combined effect of Sil and Spn caused morphological changes indicating cell cycle and mitosis disorders: increased cell size and multinucleation. In DU-145 cells, under the influence of Sil, inhibition of mitotic activity and cell cycle arrest were observed, and apoptotic, binucleate and giant cells appeared. Under the combined influence of Sil and Spn, a significant part of DU-145 cells entered apoptosis, and the rest were in its initial stages. Conclusions: in androgen-sensitive LNCaP cells, pure Sil exerted its effect mainly through the activation of apoptotic pathways, while in DU-145 cells, through the disruption of the cell cycle and cytokinesis. The ALDH inhibitor Sil and exogenous Spn, when combined with their effects on both androgen-sensitive and androgen-resistant prostate cancer cells, mutually enhanced their own cytotoxic and proapoptotic effects. The combined effect was maximally expressed in androgenresistant DU-145 cells.
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