Low-dose chemotherapeutic drugs induce reactive oxygen species and initiate apoptosis-mediated genomic instability.

ABSTRACT: Prolonged cancer cell survival, acquiring drug resistance, and secondary cancer development despite chemotherapy are the major challenges during cancer treatment, whose underlying mechanism still remains elusive. In this study, low-doses of chemotherapeutic drugs (LDCD) - doxorubicin (DOX), etoposide (ETOP), and busulfan (BUS) were used to ascertain the effect of residual concentrations of drugs on breast cancer cells. Our results showed that exposure to LDCD caused significant induction of ROS, early signs of apoptosis and accumulation of cells in S and G₂-M phases of the cell cycle in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. Under drug-free recovery conditions, a decrease in the number of apoptotic cells and an increase in the number of colonies formed were observed. Analysis of the m

SUBMITTER: Arun R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6062221 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature