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Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable cancer that is characterized by malignant plasma cell proliferation. Approximately 10% of all blood cancers are MM, and there is no standard curative therapy. In this work, we intended to synthesize, characterize, and assess the anticancer effects of selenium/chitosan/polyethylene glycol–carvacrol nanocomposites (SCP‐Car‐NCs) on MM U266 cells in vitro. Various characterization techniques were used to characterize the synthesized SCP‐Car‐NCs. Several in vitro free radical scavenging experiments were conducted to test the ability of synthesized SCP‐Car‐NCs to scavenge the different free radicals. The cytotoxicity of SCP‐Car‐NCs was assessed on Vero and U266 cells using the 3‐[4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl]‐2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. By using various fluorescence staining techniques, the amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, MMP, and apoptosis were measured. Using commercial test kits, the levels of oxidative stress and apoptotic biomarkers in control and treated U266 cells were assessed. The highest peak in the UV spectral analysis was found to be at 271 nm, demonstrating the development of SCP‐Car‐NCs. Fourier transform infrared analysis showed that the synthesized SCP‐Car‐NCs contained a variety of stretching and bonding. The X‐ray diffraction study confirmed the crystallinity of SCP‐Car‐NCs. The dynamic light scattering analysis showed that the SCP‐Car‐NCs had an average size of 171 nm. The different free radicals, such as the 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl, hydroxyl, and peroxyl radicals, were significantly scavenged by the SCP‐Car‐NCs. According to the MTT assay results, the SCP‐Car‐NCs decreased the viability of U266 cells while having no impact on the proliferation of Vero cells. The SCP‐Car‐NCs significantly boosted ROS production, decreased the MMP level, and promoted apoptosis, as evidenced by the fluorescence staining experiments. In U266 cells treated with SCP‐Car‐NCs, the level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances increased while superoxide dismutases and glutathione levels were reduced. In the SCP‐Car‐NCs treated U266 cells, it was found that the Bax, caspase‐3, and −9 activities had increased while the Bcl‐2 level had decreased. In conclusion, our findings show that SCP‐Car‐NCs treatment reduced the viability and increased apoptosis in the U266 cells, providing a new insight on SCP‐Car‐NCs' potential for usage in the future to treat MM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Leukemia is known to be a common type of cancer mostly affecting children. The standard therapeutic treatment available for leukemia has many drawbacks with serious side effects. Therefore, plant-based chemotherapeutic agents that show less/no toxic side effects might be an efficient way to treat leukemia. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to explore the potential of β-caryophyllene, obtained from various plants sources, and found that it persuades oxidative stress-associated apoptosis during the repression of inflammation and proliferation in MOLT-4 leukemia cancer cells. Materials and Methods: In this study, MOLT-4 cells were incubated with β-caryophyllene (15 and 20 μM) for 24 h and found that β-caryophyllene increased the level of cytotoxicity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreased the level of antioxidants, mitochondrial membrane potential, and apoptotic reaction in MOLT-4 cells. Cell proliferation and apoptosis are important cellular events, and inhibition of cell proliferation along with the generation of proapoptotic marker has been considered as a novel task for treatment of cancer. Results: According to our results, β-caryophyllene induced apoptosis by downregulating the expression of Bcl-2 family of proteins and upregulating the expression of caspases involved in BAX-associated apoptosis in MOLT-4 cells. It also downregulated the expression of biomarkers involved in proliferation (proliferating cell nuclear antigen and cyclin-D1) and inflammation (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, nuclear factor-kappa B, and cyclooxygenase-2). Conclusion: In summary, β-caryophyllene potentially induced apoptosis by generating ROS and by inhibiting inflammation and proliferative genes in MOLT-4 leukemia cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is still remain as a global burden with the 18.1 million and 9.6 million new cases and mortlities, respectively estimated globally. Leukemia may arise at all ages varied from the infants to elders. In this exploration, we planned to evaluate the antiproliferative effect of D-pinitol on human leukemia MOLT-4 cells. Anticancer potential of D-pinitol was examined using MTT assay. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was studied by fluorescence microscopic method using DCFH-DA staining. Apoptotic morphological alterations were determined by dual staining (acridine orange and ethidium bromide). Western blot and ELISA methods were employed to study apoptotic protein expression. D-pinitol treatment significantly induced cytotoxicity in human leukemia MOLT-4 cells. We observed that D-pinitol induces the generation of ROS in MOLT-4 cells. Further, we noticed that D-pinitol significantly induced apoptosis in a dosage dependent manner. Moreover, western blot and ELISA based analysis revealed that D-pinitol elevated the Bax, Caspase-3, Caspase-9 and attenuated the Bcl-2 expression in leukemic cancer cell. Our findings suggest that D-pinitol treatment induces the apoptosis in human leukemic cells by generating intracellular ROS and modulating apoptotic protein expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]