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Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal occurring in the environment as an industrial pollutant. The systematic accumulation of Cd in the human body may lead to major health problems. Quercetin (QE) is a natural flavonoid widely distributed in plants and is a part of human diet. Many studies have demonstrated the multiple benefits of QE to humans in protecting cells of our bodies. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of QE and Cd on the proliferation of astrocytoma 1321N1 cells. Results indicated that the simultaneous exposure of the cells to 200 µM QE and 16 μM Cd significantly reduced cell viability to 6.9 ± 1.6% with respect to vehicle-treated cells. Other experiments of QE pre-treatment followed by the exposure to Cd alone or with QE indicated significant but decreased ability of QE or Cd to reduce proliferation of the cells compared to their co-incubation. Our study suggested a synergetic anti-proliferative interaction of Cd and QE in malignantly transformed cells. This adds new information regarding the biological effects of QE.

Background/Aim: Neuroblastoma (NB), the most common extracranial malignant childhood tumor accounts for about 15% of cancer-related deaths in children. Despite the intensive treatment of patients with high-risk scarification of NB, clinical outcomes indicate tumor recurrence greater than 50% and late severe adverse effects. Oxazolidinones are 5-membered heterocyclic compounds with antibacterial activity against resistant bacterial strains. Structural modifications around the oxazolidinone moiety have resulted in derivatives with anti-cancer properties against proliferation, motility, and invasion of breast cancer cells. This study aimed to examine the anti-cancer potential of novel oxazolidinones against a model of a neuroblastoma cell line. Materials and Methods: Newly synthesized and characterized triazolyl-oxazolidinone derivatives were incubated with neuroblastoma Kelly cells. The antiproliferation and anti-progression effects of the compounds were evaluated by MTT, and adhesion with migration assays. Results: The 5-nitrofuroyl glycinyl-oxazolidinone containing 4-methyltriazolyl group demonstrated the most potent activity with an IC 50 =6.52 μM. Furthermore, the D-isomer of 5-nitrothiophenecarbonyl alaninyl containing derivative reduced the adhesion to fibronectin by 56.34%, while the Disomer of 5-nitrofuroyl alaninyl derivative reduced the migration of Kelly cells by 29.14%. Conclusion: The presence of the 4-methyltriazolyl moiety seems to enhance the anti-proliferative property of triazolyl-oxazolidinone derivatives, as demonstrated by PH-145. There is little or no effect of the stereochemistry of the alanine side-chain on the antiproliferative effect, as demonstrated by the 5-nitrofuroyl D-and L-alaninyl containing derivatives with similar IC 50 values. The observed differences in the inhibition of adhesion and migration by the oxazolidinones on Kelly cells provide a new therapeutic approach that needs further investigation.Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial malignant tumor in infants and children. In North America and Europe, the average annual incidence rate of NB is 10.5 per million children between 0 and 14 years old, with a slightly greater incidence in males (male:female ratio 1.2:1.0). NB accounts for approximately 10% of all malignant childhood tumors and it is the cause of up to 15% of cancer-related death in children (1). NB is an extremely heterogeneous disease and many biological, molecular, and genetic factors determine whether the disease will spontaneously regress or metastasize and become resistant to therapy (2). Most NB tumors are detected in the abdomen and are associated with the adrenal medulla or sympathetic ganglia (3). Due to the primary sites of the disease, it is commonly accepted that neuroblastoma arises from the sympathoadrenal lineage of the neural crest (4) which only present during embryonic development (5).Of the two forms, familial NB is rare and accounts for <2% of all NB tumors (6). Commonly, familial NB is associated with a mutation in the anaplastic lym...