Assessment of the Anticancer Effects of Simvastatin on Human Osteosarcoma and Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines

Abstract

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) and osteosarcoma (OS) and all other cancers represents one of the most challenger issues to the humanity for long time, due to their associated sever health lesions, emotional and psychological hardships, and significant economic encumbrances. Adding to that, the poor curing fate achieved with current therapeutic strategies of cancer. The invention of new drugs for cancer treatment required long time reaching to years as well as consuming the huge money budget, so that the focusing on the aspect of the repositioning of conventional drugs (like simvastatin) has gradually take a large consideration as they can participate in the alleviation of cancer treatment burden in view of this work promising results and preceding hopeful findings and conclusions have been obtained from the studies conducted in this field. The Aim: assessment of the cytotoxic effects of a lipid lowering drug, simvastatin, in human CRC and OS cells. Methods: SW480 (CRC) and MG-63 (OS) cell lines were utilized in this work and have been treated with various doses of simvastatin, then its cytotoxic effects have been evaluated by MTT assay. Thereafter, the VEGF and GDF-15 suppression effects of simvastatin have been measured in SW480 and MG-63 cells. Results: exposure of CRC and OS cells to simvastatin resulted in significant cellular growth inhibition, and VEGF and GDF-15 suppression effects. Conclusions: Simvastatin has a promising antineoplastic potential and its role in cancer therapy cannot be underestimated, and encourage the utilization and surveying of other preexisting drugs in cancer treatment path.