Affiliations 

  • 1 Taylor's University
  • 2 International Medical University
MyJurnal

Abstract

Introduction: Colon cancer is one of the leading cause of cancer death and current treatments often bring about undesired toxicities and resistance. Hence targeted therapeutic regimens for cancer are developed. Anticancer agent incorporated with copper has been synthesized to selectively target cancer cells that are reported to take up more copper compared to normal cells. Cu(SBCM)2 synthesized from the condensation of s-benzyldithiocarbazate and 3-aetylcoumarin was demonstrated to exhibit anti-proliferative effect towards MCF-7 cells and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells via cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. However, the mode of cell death of Cu(SBCM)2 on colon cancer cells has not been explored. This study investigated the anti-cancer properties of Cu(SBCM)2 on HT-29, colorectal cancer cell line. Methods: The growth inhibition of the copper complex was determined using MTT assay and xCELLigence real time cell monitoring analysis. Results: Cu(SBCM)2 was shown to inhibit the growth of HT-29 cells significantly in time- and dose- dependent manner with IC50 of 25.23 ± 8.22 uM at 48 hours. Morphological studies using inverted light microscope indicating Cu(SBCM)2-treated HT-29 cells displayed characteristics of apoptosis such as cellular shrinkage and membrane blebbing. Cell cycle analysis was carried out using flowcytometer and Cu(SBCM)2 was found to induce G2M cell cycle arrest at 24 and 48 hours. ROS assay was carried out to determine the involvement of oxidative stress on Cu(SBCM)2 treated HT-29 cells. Nevertheless, results indicated Cu(SBCM)2 significantly suppressed the formation of ROS compared to control. Conclusion: In summary, Cu(SBCM)2 shows promising potential in cancer therapy against colon cancer cells.