Caffeine May Enhance NSAID-Induced Effects on Colon Cancer Cells

WASHINGTON--Laboratory studies from Rockefeller University, presentedat Digestive Disease Week, suggest that caffeine may have a synergisticeffect with NSAIDs in preventing the growth of cancer cells.

At a press briefing, Yael Goldberg, MD, said that laboratory tests haveshown that NSAIDs have an antiproliferative effect on colon cancer cellsas well as the capacity to interfere with the cell cycle and induce apoptosis.And among the cells that do not die, about 90% arrest in the cell cycle,she said.

Working in the laboratory of Dr. Steven Shiff, Dr. Goldberg and hercolleagues treated colon cancer cells with different agents in an attempt,she said, "to look more closely at the mechanism responsible for theantineoplastic effect of NSAIDs, and to think about practical ways to treatpatients."

The researcher treated HT-29 colon adenocarcinoma cells and U-2 OS osteosarcomacells for 72 hours with either a control medium alone or a control mediumsupplemented with indomethacin (400 µM), sulindac (1,200 µM),sulindac sulfide (175 µM), or caffeine (4 µM), or co-supplementedwith caffeine and one of each of the NSAIDs.

In both HT-29 and U-2 OS cells, caffeine treatment alone profoundlyinhibited proliferation but did not induce apoptosis.

Co-treatment with caffeine and one of the NSAIDs reduced proliferationmore than did treatment with any of the agents used alone. When used incombination, caffeine significantly enhanced NSAID-induced apoptosis, andalso altered cell cycle distribution and levels of several key proteinsthat likely modulate the NSAID-induced cell cycle arrest.