In Vitro Cytotoxic Effects of Celecoxib, Mefenamic Acid, Aspirin and Indometacin on Several Cells Lines

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Use of cyclooxygenase inhibitors as chemotherapy agents has attracted the attention of a large number of investigators in recent years. Given the importance of cancer therapy, only a limited number of studies have been carried out to investigate the effects of cyclooxygenase inhibitors on specific cell lines. PURPOSE This research aimed to determine the in vitro cytotoxic effects of cyclooxygenase inhibitors (COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitors) on KB, Saos-2, 1321N, U-87MG, SFBF-PI 39 cell lines. MATERIALS AND METHOD Powders of celecoxib, mefenamic acid, aspirin and indometacin were dissolved in the appropriate solvent. The viability of cell lines was carried out by MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide) assay technique. Data gathered from four separate experiments were expressed as mean±SD. Statistical significance was defined at p< 0.05 by using analysis of variance. Significant treatment mean values were subjected to post-hoc Tukey's test. RESULTS Celecoxib showed marked cytotoxic effects on KB, Saos-2, and 1321N cells, which was significant in comparison with the control group. Celecoxib was not effective in killing U-87MG cell line. Mefenamic acid exerted cytotoxic effects on KB, Saos-2, and 1321N cells, where the viability was approximately 75%. U-87MG cells were resistant to mefenamic acid. Indometacin had the highest rate of activity on U-87MG cells, which was significant in comparison with the control group. Aspirin did not exhibit any activity on these cell lines and was not effective in killing U-87MG, KB, Saos-2, and 1321N cells. CONCLUSION This research showed that celecoxib, indometacin, and mefenamic acid have the cytotoxic effects on KB, Saos-2, 1321N and U-87MG cell lines. Therefore, it appears that these drugs can be considered as anti-neoplastic agents in the experimental phase.