Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Publication Date

Fall 11-11-2024

College

Sciences and Mathematics, College of

Department

Biology, Department of

SURS Faculty Advisor

Andrea Florian

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Abstract

Osteosarcoma, the most common type of bone cancer, is notably aggressive and prone to a rapid rate of metastasis. When the tumor is localized; the survival rate is approximately 76% and can often be treated with surgery. However, once metastasis occurs, the survival rate drops to 24% and must be treated with chemotherapy. The standard treatment for metastatic osteosarcoma typically involves combination therapeutics, with cisplatin being a key component despite its severe side effects. Unfortunately, osteosarcoma exhibits a natural resistance to chemotherapy driven by the overexpression of drug efflux pumps, DNA repair mechanisms, and apoptosis avoidance mutations. To address these limitations, our study explores the efficacy of combining cisplatin with berberine HCl, an isoquinoline alkaloid salt extracted from Berberis aristata bark. Berberine HCl, an over-the-counter supplement has demonstrated potential in inducing apoptosis and inhibit cancer cell proliferation by promoting the release of cytochrome c in the mitochondria, downregulation of both cyclins and Bcl-2 protein family. We hypothesized that the distinct mechanistic actions of cisplatin and berberine HCl would yield synergistic effects on cell death. Our findings confirmed that the combination of these agents significantly decreases cell viability and increases apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells compared to either agent alone.

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