Rapamicina e frutose-1,6-bisfosfato diminuem a proliferação de células HEP/HEPG2 via aumento de radicais livres e apoptose

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most prevalent type of tumor among primary tumors affecting the liver. Its development is usually related to a chronic liver disease, which can be caused by a viral infection (hepatitis B and C), alcoholism, cryptogenic cirrhosis, biliary disease and primary hemochromatosis. Rapamycin, an immunosuppressant agent, is currently used as the basis of chemotherapy in the treatment of various cancers, including the liver. By presenting several serious adverse effects in patients undergoing treatment, including nephrotoxicity, it is clear the importance of minimizing these effects without compromising efficacy. In this sense, other drugs may be used concomitantly. One of these drugs is fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP), which has shown therapeutic effect in various pathological situations. Beneficial effects of FBP in organic, liver and kidney deficiencies were also documented. The objective of this study was to evaluate the activity of rapamycin in combination with the FBP in cell proliferation, oxidative stress and inflammation of hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells, analyzing the cytotoxic effects in an attempt to minimize adverse effects and increase the efficacy and safety for patients undergoing treatment.The results demonstrated that the combination of rapamycin and FBP is more efficient than the single use of them, because subtherapeutic doses of rapamycin, when associated to FBP become effective, and this inibition in cell proliferation is not caused by necrosis. In 72 hours of treatment, there was no change in the inflammatory route or in autophagy of cells, but the combination of rapamycin and FBP significantly increased the production of Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and the cellular apoptosis, a process that can inhibit tumor proliferation. These results demonstrate that this association may be a promising choice for hepatocarcinoma treatment.