The Synergistic Anticancer Effect of Artesunate Combined with Allicin in Osteosarcoma Cell Line in Vitro and in Vivo

Background: Artesunate, extracted from Artemisia annua, has been proven to have anti-cancer potential.Allicin, diallyl thiosulfinate, the main biologically active compound derived from garlic, is also of interest incancer treatment research. This object of this report was to document synergistic effects of artesunate combinedwith allicin on osteosarcoma cell lines in vitro and in vivo.
Methods: After treatment with artesunate and allicinat various concentrations, the viability of osteosarcoma cells was analyzed by MTT method, with assessmentof invasion and motility, colony formation and apoptosis. Western Blotting was performed to determine theexpression of caspase-3/9, and activity was also detected after drug treatment. Moreover, in a nude mousemodel established with orthotopic xenograft tumors, tumor weight and volume were monitored after drugadministration via the intraperitoneal (i.p.) route.
Results: The viability of osteosarcoma cells in the combinationgroup was significantly decreased in a concentration and time dependent manner; moreover, invasion, motilityand colony formation ability were significantly suppressed and the apoptotic rate was significantly increasedthrough caspase-3/9 expression and activity enhancement in the combination group. Furthermore, suppressionof tumor growth was evident in vivo.
Conclusion: Our results indicated that artesunate and allicin in combinationexert synergistic effects on osteosarcoma cell proliferation and apoptosis.