Is Oxytocin Proper for Cancer Adjuvant Therapy?

Abstract

Neuroblastomas are solid tumors and mostly seen in the adrenal medulla and sympathetic ganglia. It is known that neuroblastoma cell proliferation is inhibited by cisplatin and vincristine. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of oxytocin on cell viability in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line and primary cerebral cortex cell culture exposed to cisplatin and vincristine. In this direction, SH-SY5Y cell line and cortex neurons were obtained from the medical pharmacology department, Ataturk University. Both cells were grown in the appropriate cell culture media. Cisplatin (5, 10, 15 μg), vincristine (0.5, 1 and 2 ng) and oxytocin (1 μM) were applied to SH-SY5Y cell line and primary cortex cell culture for 24 h. MTT and TAC-TOS tests were performed 24 h after the application. As a result of the MTT assay, the combination of cisplatin and vincristine reduced cell viability in both cultures approximately 25% and 22%, respectively, compared to the control group. It appears that oxytocin increases neuroblastoma and cortex neuron viability, 112% and 95%, respectively. In this relation, we need to investigate why oxytocin increases cell viability and what are the possible implications in women in lactation stage.