In vitro anti-proliferative effect and in vivo antitumor action of daphnetin in different tumor cells.

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: The anti-inflammatory effects of daphnetin (7,8-dihidroxicoumarin) have been well-documented, but the potential of daphnetin as an anticancer agent is controversial and remains insufficiently explored. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this work, we evaluated the in vitro anti-proliferative effect of daphnetin in three cell lines by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assays, as well as its in vivo antitumor effect in four different types of mouse tumor. RESULTS: With a correlation between in vitro and in vivo results, the tested cell types have different sensitivity to the compound. The following cell lines are arranged according to the in vitro anti-proliferative potency of daphnetin: B16 melanoma cells (inhibitory concentrations 50 [IC50] = 54 ± 2.8 µM) > mitoxantrone (MXT) breast adenocarcinoma cells (IC50 = 74 ± 6.4 µM) > C26 colon carcinoma cells (IC50 = 108 ± 7.3 µM). In vivo, the optimal antitumor dose of daphnetin was 40 mg/kg and the magnitudes of inhibition were the following: B16 tumor (48%) > MXT tumor (40%) > S180 fibrosarcoma tumor (30%) > C26 tumor (20%). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that daphnetin might have an impact as adjuvant to improve the effectiveness of conventional chemotherapy.