Background: Platinum derivatives are used widely for the treatment of many cancers. However, the toxicity that is observed makes imperative the need for new drugs, or new combinations. Anvirzel™ is an extract which has been demonstrated with experimental data that displays anticancer activity. The aim of the present study is to determine whether the combination of Cisplatin and Anvirzel™ has a synergistic effect against different types of cancer. Materials and methods: To measure the efficacy of treatment with Cisplatin and Anvirzel™, methyl-tetrazolium dye (MTT) chemosensitivity assays were used incorporating established human cancer cell lines. Measurements were performed in triplicates, three times, using different incubation times and different concentrations of the two formulations in combination or on their own. t-test was used for statistical analysis. Results: In the majority of the cell lines tested, lower concentrations of Anvirzel™ induced a synergistic effect when combined with low concentrations of Cisplatin after an incubation period of 48 to 72 h. The combination of Anvirzel™/Cisplatin showed anti-proliferative effects against a wide range of tumours. Conclusion: The results showed that the combination of Anvirzel™ and Cisplatin is more effective than monotherapy, even when administered at low concentrations; thus, undesirable toxic effects can be avoided.

Determination of response to chemotherapy is a major requirement of personalized medicine. Resistance, whether developed or native, critically affects a treatment’s success. Single Cell Gel lectrophoresis - also known as a comet assay - is used to detect DNA damage at the level of individual eukaryotic cells. We assessed the use of comet assays in determining response to chemotherapeutic drugs that are widely used in breast and colon cancer. We treated human breast and colon cancer cell lines with melphalan, cisplatin, mechlorethamine or doxorubicin, as monotherapies. Drug activities varied even in the same cancer types, further demonstrating the heterogeneity of different cancer types. The comet assay technique can provide reliable and quick results with minimum requirements and is applicable to a wide variety of drugs.

29 Background: The Notch signaling pathway is not only involved in cell differentiation, but also in carcinogenesis. Four different receptors are included in this pathway (Notch-1, Notch-2, Notch-3, and Notch-4) and each is encoded by a different gene. Recent data suggest that the activation of Notch-1 induces epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) consistent with cancer stem cell (CSC) phenotype. It raises therefore the question of whether there is an interaction between the receptors. The present study aims to find out the gene expression patterns of Notch receptors in Colon CSCs, under the suppression of Notch-1. Methods: The experiments were performed in Colon CSCs provided by CELPOGEN. The stemness of these cells was tested both in gene and protein level with qPCR and flow cytometry assays for the stemness markers Oct4-CD44. The gene suppressed with RNAi assays and the knockdown was evaluated with molecular biology methods. The gene expression analysis was performed after RT-qPCR assays, by using the comparative Ct method (ΔΔCt) for the calculation of relative quantitation. Results: The Colon CSCs expressed Oct4-CD44 both in gene and protein level, indicating the stemness status. The knockdown of Notch-1 up to 75%, led to a reduction of gene expression in Notch-2 and Notch-3 receptors, while no significant difference was observed in Notch-4. The Notch-2 expression was decreased up to 90% while that of Notch-3 was at the same level with Notch-1. Conclusions: This research study attempts to find out any possible correlation between the Notch receptors in Colon CSCS. The experimental data indicate that Notch-1 interacts with Notch-2 and Notch-3 by affecting heavily their gene expression. It is therefore necessary to study if the other receptors are capable for EMT and then to find out which factors are involved. Further studies to a greater range of samples need to be performed, in order to use these data at clinical level.