The Combination of Artesunate and Paclitaxel in 1:1 Ratio Induces Apoptosis and Morphology Change on Human Prostate Cancer Cell Lines

The combination of Artesunate (ART) and Paclitaxel (PTX) in two human prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines (PC-3 and LNCaP) was evaluated to investigate the effects on proliferation, apoptosis and morphological changes. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values that were observed by ART and PTX on both LNCaP and PC-3 cell lines at 72-and 120-hour exposure were used to assess these effects. Early and late apoptosis was detected in Annexin V-FITC/PI assay revealed a shift in population of cells towards early and mid-apoptosis with ART + PTX than with ART and PTX individually. More effects were observed on LNCaP cell lines at both 72-hour and 120-hour exposure. The results for the Caspase 3/7 activity assay showed shift of viable population in all induced samples compared to control. Morphological changes occurred in both cell lines; this was validated in qualitative assessment when examined under the inverted microscope. These findings indicated that ART + PTX suppressed PCa cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner.