Abstract:

Aim: Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) has cytotoxic, apoptotic, and antiproliferative effects on various tumor cells, and is the most active component of propolis. This study aimed to examine the in vitro effects of CAPE on the human multiple myeloma cell line. Materials and methods: CAPE was added to the ARH-77 multiple myeloma cell line and the percentage of dead cells was measured using the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazoyl)-2,5-diphenyl-SH-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The percentage of live cells and growth inhibition were determined using the Trypan blue test. The percentage of IL-6 cells was determined using ELISA. Results: ARH-77 cells treated with CAPE for 72 h at the 100 µg mL-1 concentration resulted in a growth inhibition effect of 90.4% and a cytotoxic effect of 80.4%. CAPE induced apoptosis in 92.3% of the cells in 22.5 µg mL-1 at 72 h. CAPE inhibited the secretion of IL-6 by ARH-77 multiple myeloma cells at LD50 concentrations. Conclusion: CAPE inhibited growth and secretion of IL-6, and induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner in ARH-77 multiple myeloma cells. We think that CAPE merits further study as an effective agent against multiple myeloma.

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