Objective: Paclitaxel is generally used to induce apoptosis in most types of cancer cells. Noscapine is an opioid antitussive, and has demonstrated potent antitumor activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the antiproliferative and proapoptotic activity of noscapine and paclitaxel alone and in combination on human LNCaP prostate cancer cell line.Materials and Methods: LNCaP cells were cultured in RPMI 1640 medium, and were treated by various concentrations of paclitaxel (5, 10, 25, 50 and 100nM) or noscapine (10, 25, 50 and 100mM) in three different times (24, 48 and 72 hours). Cell viability and IC50 value was determined using MTT assay. In another set of experiments, the cells were treated with 50nM Paclitaxel combination with different concentrations of noscapine for 48 hours and cell viability and percentages of apoptotic cells was assessed by acridine orange (AO)/ ethidium bromide (EB). Data was analyzed by one way ANOVA.Results: The MTT assay showed that paclitaxel and noscapine alone significantly decreased the viability of LNCaP cells in a dose and time-dependent manner, and the IC50 values were 50 nM and 50 μM respectively at 48 hours. Combined treatment with noscapine and paclitaxel significantly decreased in cell viability and increased cells apoptosis, compared to single treatment (p<0.05).Conclusion: Noscapine potentiated the anticancer activity of paclitaxel in a synergistic manner against LNCaP cells.

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer death in American population. In this manner, novel therapeutic approaches for identification of therapeutic targets for PCa has significant clinical implications. Quercetin is a potent cancer therapeutic agent and dietary antioxidant present in fruit and vegetables. Methods: To investigate the underlying mechanism by which the PCa was regulated, nanoparticles of quercetin were administrated to cells. For in vitro experiments, human PCa cell line LNCaP were involved. Cell viability assay and quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) for hedgehog signaling pathway genes were used to determine the key signaling pathway regulated for PCa progression. Results: The cell viability gradually decreased with increased concentration of quercetin nanoparticles. At 48 h, 40 mM concentration of quercetin treatment showed near 50% of viable cells. Quercetin nanoparticles upregulates Su(Fu) mRNA expressions and downregulates gli mRNA expressions in the LNCaP cells. Conclusions: The results showed that the hedgehog signaling targeted inhibition may have important implications of PCa therapeutics. Additionally, the outcomes provided new mechanistic basis for further examination of quercetin nanoparticles to discover potential treatment strategies and new targets for PCa inhibition.

Objective: Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide. Chemotherapeutic agents have been shown to have adverse side-effects, and natural compounds have been recommended for cancer treatment, nowadays. Crab shell has been shown to have cancer preventative and suppressive effects in vivo and in vitro. The aim of present study was to investigate the effect of crab shell extract on prostate cancer cell line (LNcap) in vitro.Materials and Methods: In this in vitro experimental study, LNcap cells were treated with different concentrations (0, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1000 mg/ml) of crab shell hydroalcoholic extract in three different culture periods (24, 48 and 72 hours). LNcap viability was evaluated by trypan blue staining and MTT assay. Cell apoptosis and nitric oxide (NO) secretion were determined by TUNEL and Griess assays, respectively. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA test and P<0.05 was considered significant.Results: LNcap viability was decreased dose- and time-dependently. Thus 400, 800, and 1000 mg/ml doses showed significant differences compared to control group (P<0.001). Dose-dependent increase in the apoptotic index was also observed in 800 and 1000 mg/ ml concentrations (P<0.001). Nitric oxide secretion of LNcap cell was decreased time- and dose-dependently, while it was significant for 1000 mg/ml (P<0.05).Conclusion: Crab shell extract showed anti-prostate cancer effect, by inducing cell apoptosis and decreasing NO production.