Adjuvant effect of n-butyric acid on chemosensitivity of SW480 cells

W. S. Tsai*, C. Y. Yeh, P. S. Hsieh, J. Y. Wang

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

Abstract

Butyric acid is one of the most important by-products of dietary fiber degradation. It has trophic effects on normal colonic epithelium, but also has anti-neoplastic effects in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we used the SW480 cell line in culture to test the n-butyric acid effects on chemosensitivity of cells to the anti-cancer agents, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and mitomycin-C. The results showed that n-butyric acid was effective in enhancing the chemosensitivity of colon cancer cells to 5-FU and mitomycin-C. At higher concentrations of 5-FU (0.25 to 2 μ M/ml), the inhibition rates of cells cultured in medium with n-butyric acid supplementation were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those without acid supplementation after a 24-hour period of culture. At lower concentrations of 5-FU (0.06 to 0.13 μ M/ml), the inhibition rates of cells cultured with acid supplementation also were significantly higher than those without acid supplementation after 72-hr period of culture. Similar results were found in the mitomycin-C groups. In conclusion, n-butyric acid has a beneficial effect on 5-FU and mitomycin-C chemosensitivity, although the mechanism is unclear. Our findings imply that butyrate may be beneficial against colorectal cancer in clinical application.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)83-87
Number of pages5
JournalZhonghua Minguo wai ke yi xue hui za zhi
Volume34
Issue number2
StatePublished - 2001
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • 5-Fluorouracil
  • Colon cancer cells
  • Mitomycin-C
  • n-butyric acid

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