The Cooperative Anti-Neoplastic Activity of Polyphenolic Phytochemicals on Human T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Cell Line MOLT-4 In Vitro

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common hematological malignancy affecting pediatric patients. ALL treatment regimens with cytostatics manifest substantial toxicity and have reached the maximum of well-tolerated doses. One potential approach for improving treatment efficiency could be supplementation of the current regimen with naturally occurring phytochemicals with anti-cancer properties. Nutraceuticals such as quercetin, curcumin, resveratrol, and genistein have been studied in anti-cancer therapy, but their application is limited by their low bioavailability. However, their cooperative activity could potentially increase their efficiency at low, bioavailable doses. We studied their cooperative effect on the viability of a human ALL MOLT-4 cell line in vitro at the concentration considered to be in the bioavailable range in vivo. To analyze their potential side effect on the viability of non-tumor cells, we evaluated their toxicity on a normal human foreskin fibroblast cell line (BJ). In both cell lines, we also measured specific indicators of cell death, changes in cell membrane permeability (CMP), and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Even at a low bioavailable concentration, genistein and curcumin decreased MOLT-4 viability, and their combination had a significant interactive effect. While resveratrol and quercetin did not affect MOLT-4 viability, together they enhanced the effect of the genistein/curcumin mix, significantly inhibiting MOLT-4 population growth in vitro. Moreover, the analyzed phytochemicals and their combinations did not affect the BJ cell line. In both cell lines, they induced a decrease in MMP and correlating CMP changes, but in non-tumor cells, both metabolic activity and cell membrane continuity were restored in time. (4) Conclusions: The results indicate that the interactive activity of analyzed phytochemicals can induce an anti-cancer effect on ALL cells without a significant effect on non-tumor cells. It implies that the application of the combinations of phytochemicals an anti-cancer treatment supplement could be worth further investigation regardless of their low bioavailability.