Document Type : Research Articles
Authors
1
Biotechnology department,Faculty of science, Cairo University
2
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, 12613 Giza, Egypt.
3
Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Unit, Department of Cancer Biology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, 11796 Cairo, Egypt.
4
Department of Clinical Pathology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, 11796 Cairo, Egypt.
5
Department of Surgery,National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute, Cairo, Egypt.
6
Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of science, Cairo University, 12613 Giza, Egypt.
Abstract
Introduction: Diagnosis of the majority of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients occurs at intermediate to advanced stages, with a few curative therapeutic options being available. It is therefore strongly urgent to discover additional adjuvant therapy for this lethal malignancy. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of curcumin (C), piperine (P) and taurine (T) combination as adjuvant agents on serum levels of IFN-γ, immunophenotypic and molecular characterization of mononuclear leukocytes (MNLs) in HCC patients treated with Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). Patients and methods: Serum and MNLs were collected from 20 TACE-treated HCC patients before (baseline-control samples) and after treatment with 5 g curcumin capsules , 10 mg piperine and 0.5 mg taurine taken daily for three consecutive months. Immunophenotypic and molecular characterization of MNLs were determined by flow cytometry and quantitative real time PCR, respectively. In addition, serum IFN-γ level was quantified by ELISA. Results: After receiving treatment with CPT combination, there was a highly significant increase in IFN- γ levels in the sera of patients when compared to basal line control samples. Additionally, the group receiving combined therapy demonstrated a downregulation in the expression levels of PD-1, in MNLs as compared to controls. MNLs’ immunophenotyping revealed a significant decline in CD4+CD25+cells (regulatory T lymphocytes). Furthermore, clinicopathological characteristics revealed a highly significant impact of CPT combination on aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and alpha feto protein (AFP) levels. Conclusion: This study introduces a promising adjuvant CPT combined treatment as natural agents to enhance the management of HCC patients who are candidates to TACE treatment.
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