The effect of thymoquinone and propranolol combination on epidermoid laryngeal carcinoma cell

We aimed to evaluate the effects of thymoquinone and propranolol on Hep-2 cells representing laryngeal Ca cell type in comparison with cisplatin. We also evaluated their combined effects.

Apoptotic effects were directly analyzed via mitochondrial membrane potential and caspase-3 assays. In addition, effects on apoptosis and cell cycle via Bcl-2, Bax, P53, and Cyclin D1 mRNA expressions and effects on angiogenesis via VEGFA mRNA expression were evaluated by RT-qPCR.

According to our results, it was determined that the anticancer effects of thymoquinone on Hep-2 cells were higher than propranolol. Our JC-1 and caspase-3 results showed an effect close to cisplatin, especially for 50 µM thymoquinone. Significant differences were also obtained in Bcl-2, Bax, P53, and cyclin D1 results for similar concentrations compared to the control. No effect of thymoquinone was seen for VEGFA. Propranolol alone had no significant effect on JC-1 and Caspase-3. Propranolol had an effect on Bcl-2, Bax mRNA expressions compared to the control, only at 250 µM concentration. Propranolol and its combinations increased VEGFA mRNA expression-like cisplatin.

Thymoquinone induced apoptosis and blocked the cell cycle in Hep-2 cells. The effects of propranolol, which was reported to have an antiangiogenesis effect in some studies, on apoptosis and cell cycle were limited except at high concentrations. For this cell line, why propranolol causes an increase in VEGFA expression should be evaluated extensively. Thymoquinone shows promise for cancer therapy, but studies need to be designed in vivo to evaluate the effects more reliably.