Combination between 5-Fluorouracil and Yerba Mate extract inhibits colorectal cancer cell growth.

ROCIO GARCIA LAZARO; NORAILYS LORENZO; LORENA CALIGIURI; HUMBERTO LAMDAN; BEREGENO ANDREA; HUGO ORTEGA; DANIEL FERNANDO ALONSO; HERNÁN GABRIEL FARINA

Mar del Plata

Congreso; Reunión de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica; 2018

SAIC

Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is a native plant from southern South America. Many experimental studies have shown antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antitumoral properties of Yerba Mate. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in both men and women. Previously, we have evaluated the effects of Yerba Mate extract on specific events of tumor progression and we demonstrated that the extract inhibits tumor cell proliferation, adhesion and migration and reduces invasiveness capacity in vitro. In the other hand, in vivo results suggest that the extract reduced tumor vascularization, increased tumor latency and decreased tumor growth. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the combination of Yerba Mate extract with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), which is widely used as a first-line regimen in adjuvant chemotherapy for colorectal cancer.We evaluated the effect of the combination (YM + 5-FU) using a tumor cells panel extending to CT26, COLO 205, HCT116 and HT-29. In addition, we conducted an in vivo animal experiment to assess the influence of Yerba Mate extract on the sensitivity to 5-FU in CRC. The extract was administrated to male and female Balb/C mice via the drinking water before and after the subcutaneous inoculation of CT26 tumor cells. Four to six days after implantation of tumor cells the skins were palpated to evaluate tumor latency. After 15 days of cells inoculation, 5-FU was administered via i.p (50 mg/kg/week). Survival was registered during the experiment, unless the tumor volumes reached 2000 mm3, in which case the animals were sacrificed. The results suggest that the combination of Yerba Mate extract with 5-FU increased susceptibility of the colon cancer cells to the cytotoxicity of 5-Fu in Balb/C mice. We hypothesize that the treatment with the Yerba Mate extract could amplify the anti-tumor effects of 5-FU.