Nowadays, a lot of people in the worldwide dead because of cancer. despite much research in this area, there is still no definitive way to treat cancer. in the new research, using of natural compounds because of little toxicity and low cost in the treatment of cancer has received a lot of attention. on that basis, in this study, we use of saffron and melatonin as natural compounds and survey its effects in combination with radiotherapy on hela cells.
Methods
First of all in this study, by dpph test, the best of concentration for antioxidant activity of saffron800 μg/ml and melatonin 1200 μg/ml was determined. then hela cells were treated with the best concentration of saffron and melatonin. after that cells were irradiated with different doses (2, 4, 8 gy) of gamma rays and finally, cells were plated in 96 well plates for mtt test. we have used the mtt test to compare the viability of hela cells in the presence and absence of the desired treatments.
Results
Results showed that radiation effectively reduced cell viability in a dose dependent manner. considerably, the combination of saffron or melatonin with radiation did not protect cells against radiation induced cell lethality and somehow led to potentiation of radiation effect.
Conclusion
This research suggests that a combination of saffron or melatonin with radiation can be useful in reducing the population of cancer cells. however, further studies are needed to understand the role of these treatments on cancer cells.
