Anticancer activity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa derived peptide with iRGD in colon cancer therapy

Objective(s): Colon cancer is well-known as a life-threatening disease. Since the current treatment modalities for this type of cancer are powerful yet face some limitations, finding novel treatments is required to achieve better outcomes with fewer side effects. Here we investigated the therapeutic potential of Azurin-p۲۸ alone or along with iRGD (Ac-CRGDKGPDC-amide) as a tumor-penetrating peptide and ۵-fluorouracil (۵-FU) for colon cancer. Materials and Methods: Inhibitory effect of p۲۸ with or without iRGD/۵-FU was studied in CT۲۶ and HT۲۹, as well as the xenograft animal model of cancer. The effect of p۲۸ alone or along with iRGD/۵-FU on cell migration, apoptotic activity, and cell cycle of the cell lines was assessed. Level of the BAX and BCL۲ genes, tumor suppressor genes [(p۵۳ and collagen type-Iα۱ (COL۱A۱), collagen type-Iα۲ (COL۱A۲)] were assessed by quantitative RT-PCR.Results: These findings show that using p۲۸ with or without iRGD and ۵-FU raised the level of p۵۳ and BAX but decreased BCL۲, compared with control and ۵-FU groups in tissues of the tumor, which result in raising the apoptosis. Conclusion: It seems that p۲۸ may be used as a new therapeutic approach in colon cancer therapy that can enhance the anti-tumor effect of ۵-FU.

Keywords:

Azurin-p۲۸ , Bacterial peptide , Colon cancer , iRGD , Pseudomonas aeruginosa