Derris scandens Benth Extract Potentiates Radioresistance of Hep-2 Laryngeal Cancer Cells

The use of herbal products as radiosensitizers is a promising approach to increase the efficacy of radiotherapy.However, adverse effects related to the use of herbal medicine on radiotherapy are not well characterized. Thepresent study concerns the impact of Derris scandens Benth extract on the radiosensitivity of Hep-2 laryngealcancer cells. Pretreatment with D. scandens extract prior to gamma irradiation significantly increased clonogenicsurvival and decreased the proportion of radiation-induced abnormal nuclei of Hep-2 cells. Furthermore, theextract was found to enhance radiation-induced G2/M phase arrest, induce Akt activation, and increase motilityof Hep-2 cells. The study thus indicated that D. scandens extract potentiates radioresistance of Hep-2 cells, furtherdemonstrating the importance of cellular background for the adverse effect of D. scandens extract on radiationresponse in a laryngeal cancer cell line.