combining of chemotherapy with stem cell therapy for cervical cancer treatment
combining of chemotherapy with stem cell therapy for cervical cancer treatment
Saman Asadi,1Asma Manzari-Tavakoli,2Ameneh Jafari,3,*
1. Islamic Azad University science and research branch, Tehran, Iran 2. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran 3. Proteomics Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Introduction: Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide and is commonly treated with chemotherapy. However, drug resistance and adverse side effects limit the effectiveness of chemotherapy, highlighting the need for alternative or complementary therapies. This study examined the potential of conditioned medium derived from human amniotic epithelial stem cells (hAEC-CM) as an adjunct therapy to Paclitaxel in treating cervical cancer.
Methods: Human-term placentas were gained from uncomplicated Cesarean sections from healthy donor women. The amnion was peeled from the chorion, and the epithelial stem cells were isolated, cultured, and their conditioned medium was collected. First, the effect of hAEC-CM on cervical cancer cells was evaluated. Then, the cell growth inhibition effect of different concentrations of Paclitaxel on HeLa cervical cancer cells was examined, and subsequently, the combination of hAEC-CM and Paclitaxel was tested. The MTT assay detected the cell viability of cells treated with Paclitaxel, hAEC-CM, and in the combination group.
Results: Our results showed that hAEC-CM alone had a moderate inhibitory effect on HeLa cells, while Paclitaxel alone had a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect. Notably, the combination of hAEC-CM and Paclitaxel led to a significant reduction in the IC50 of Paclitaxel, indicating a potential synergistic effect.
Conclusion: The findings suggest the potential of hAEC-CM as a complementary therapy for Paclitaxel in the treatment of cervical cancer. Further studies are needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of this synergistic effect and to explore the clinical potential of this combination therapy.