The following is a summary of “Synergistic effects of ozone with doxorubicin on the proliferation, apoptosis and metastatic profile of luminal-B type human breast cancer cell line,” published in the October 2023 issue of Oncology by Karagülle et al. 

Researchers performed a retrospective study to investigate whether ozone enhances the effects of doxorubicin on breast cancer cells. 

The study applied doxorubicin (1–50 M) to each cell line and incubated for 24 hours at 37  ^°C. In the combination groups, half were exposed to 30 g/mL ozone for 25 minutes. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), and matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 (MMP-2 and MMP-9) levels were assessed using the MTT test, flow cytometry, and immunocytochemistry. 

The results demonstrated that compared to cells treated with doxorubicin alone without ozone, each doxorubicin + ozone dose significantly increased L929 cell viability but decreased BT-474 cell viability. This combination enhanced the apoptotic effect of doxorubicin on BT-474 but not on L929 (P < 0.001). TGF-β, MMP-2, and MMP-9 levels in L929 cells were significantly higher after the combination treatment than in other groups (P < 0.01). The combination treatment reversed the decrease in protein levels caused by doxorubicin in BT-474, compared to other groups (P< 0.05).

The study found that Ozone enhances doxorubicin’s effects on breast cancer cells and protects healthy cells. Combining doxorubicin and ozone may lead to resistance in breast cancer cells.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0040816623002215?via%3Dihub