Ursolic acid enhances the therapeutic effects of oxaliplatin in colorectal cancer by inhibition of drug resistance

Abstract

It has been reported that ursolic acid has the anti-tumor activity and it enhanced the therapeutic effect of oxaliplatin in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, the mechanism of therapeutic effects enhancement by ursolic acid was investigated. We treated CRC cell lines HCT8 and SW480 with ursolic acid and oxaliplatin and monitored the effects on cell proliferation, apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and drug resistant gene production. We discovered that treatment of ursolic acid and oxaliplatin combination resulted in significant inhibition of cell proliferation, significantly increased apoptosis and ROS production and significant inhibition of drug resistance genes expression. Our study provided evidence that ursolic acid enhances the therapeutic effects of oxaliplatin in colorectal cancer by ROS-mediated inhibition of drug resistance.

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