A series of new 3-mercapto-1,2,4-triazoles have been designed, synthesized and their structures were identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometric techniques. The target compounds are designed as analogues for the anti-cancer agent Combretastatin A-4 with different aliphatic side substituents. The synthesized novel heterocyclic compounds were evaluated as anticancer molecules against colon cancer cell line (SW480) using the crystal violet cytotoxicity assay. The results revealed that these compounds have growth inhibitive effect on the cancer cells with different inhibition levels. Compound 5a with -SMe group was found to be the most active one with 77.4% cell growth inhibition and 10 µM IC50 value, it was also found to have relatively low cytotoxicity when tested against Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) normal cells line. The levels of the antioxidant total capacity of the synthesized triazoles have been determined by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay against ascorbic acid as a reference antioxidant agent at 50 μM. Compound 4 showed highest antioxidant activity with DPPH radical scavenging capacity of 71%.

Although its mechanism of action on cancer cells not well understood, Metformin (Met) is widely used nowadays to improve the anticancer activity of some drugs. Metformin has also been shown to decrease the growth of breast cancer cells and pancreatic cancer in hamsters and delays other types of tumors. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of Cisplatin (Cis) alone and Metformin alone on colon cancer cell line SW480. The results showed that the effect of Metformin on cell proliferation is concentration-dependent. Metformin enhances the proliferation and attachment of colon cancer at lower concentrations. Results showed a significant decrease in cell proliferation and attachment of colon cancer cells after Cisplatin treatment.Results of this study revealed that Cisplatin treatment decreased both proliferation and cell adhesion to the matrix. Combination therapy (Met+Cis) showed promising synergism and enhancement of anticancer activity of Cisplatin on colon cancer cells. We are strongly recommended more investigations to be more specific for using Metformin as general anticancer.

This study tested the effectiveness of laser biostimulation in small-scale cultures in vitro. We investigated the response of recombinant CHO cells, which are used for the production of monoclonal antibody, to low level laser radiation. The cells were irradiated using a 632.8 nm He-Ne laser in a continuous wave mode at different energy doses. We incubated the irradiated cells in small batch cultures and assessed their proliferation and productivity at various time intervals. Compared to untreated cells, the irradiated cells showed a significant increase in antibody production. Moreover, the results showed that laser irradiation did not affect viability and slightly enhanced proliferation rate.

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