The In Vitro Anti-Proliferative Interaction of Flavonoid Quercetin and Toxic Metal Cadmium in the 1321N1 Human Astrocytoma Cell Line

Abstract

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.

A Flavonoid on the Brain: Quercetin as a Potential Therapeutic Agent in Central Nervous System Disorders

“…Quercetin (Que) has been widely studied against many types of cancer cells, and its cytotoxic effect towards a number of murine and human brain cancer cell lines was also studied. Gliomas and glioblastomas, differing in their metastatic potential and/or drug resistance, were the most frequent cell lines used, with single papers describing the effect on astrocytoma [111][112][113] or neuroblastoma [114] cells. One study, by Lagerweij et al [115], was focused on medulloblastoma cell lines.…”

“…A number of studies focused on evaluation of Que efficacy in combination with other approved drugs or other substances to verify the synergistic potential of the compound. Al-Hasawi et al [111] reported that combined exposure to Que and cadmium (200 µM and 16 µM, respectively) reduced viability of astrocytoma 1321N1 cells to 6.9%, in comparison to the incubation with each of the substances alone. The effect was significantly increased with longer incubation time (48 h).…”

Human Microfibrillar-Associated Protein 4 (MFAP4) Gene Promoter: A TATA-Less Promoter That Is Regulated by Retinol and Coenzyme Q10 in Human Fibroblast Cells

“…After 24 h of incubation, the cells were then treated with different concentrations of compounds for 24 h. Next, 100 µL MTT solution at a concentration of 0.5 mg/mL was added to the cells, which were incubated at 37 • C for 4 h and then washed twice with PBS. Last of all, the prepared cells were lysed with 100 µL DMSO, and the absorbance was measured spectrophotometrically at 540 nm using an ELISA reader [27].…”

Quercetin and Mercury In Vitro Anti-Proliferative Effect in Human Astrocytoma Cells

“…Flavonoids, including quercetin (3, 3, 4, 5, 7pentahydroxyflavone) (QE) are naturally occurring substances present virtually in all higher plants [1] and as such, they are present in human dietary components of a plant origin [2]. QE as a typical representative of this group of compounds was shown to possess significant therapeutic and protective biological properties, including antiaging, antiinflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, angioprotective, and cytostatic [3,4]. QE has the potential to inhibit mTOR hyperactivity involved in cancer progression [5].…”

“…Additionally, QE possesses the potential of inhibiting kinases that are part of deregulation processes in malignantly transformed cells [7]. The effects of QE were reviewed in our previous work [4].…”