Influence of vitamins C and E on cytotoxic activity of adriamycin in chosen cell cultures.

Influence of different concentrations of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and dl-alpha-tocopherol acetate (vitamin E) on in vitro cytotoxic adriamycin activity, in: embryonic human fibroblasts (CLV102), human melanoma cells (ME18) and adriamycin-resistant subline cells (ME18/R), was studied. IC50 value for each compound (compound concentration in the culture medium, for which 50% of cells survive) was determined. Cells' survival after the used agent was examined with trypan blue test. The relationship between different concentrations of vitamin C and toxicity of adriamycin, used at appropriate IC50 concentrations, was expressed for all the examined cells as their survival decrease, being in direct proportion to the concentration increase of this vitamin in the medium. In the case of influence of vitamin E on adriamycin cytotoxicity, the protective effect of this vitamin was observed in the concentration range: from 5 to 300 microg/ml (p < or = 0.0001), as an increase of the examined cell survival for ME18, ME18/R as well as for CLV102, comparing to the control (p=0.05) without this vitamin. Parallelly, a statistically significant survival decrease was observed, if the concentration of vitamin E in the culture medium exceeded 500 microg/ml. Received results showed different, in defined concentration range, effects of the vitamin C or vitamin E activity for adriamycin cytotoxicity. These effects were similar for all the examined cells.