Saikosaponin B3 potentiates doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in modulating Akt and GSK3-β in breast cancer cell lines

Abstract

Resistance is intrinsic to cancer but as therapy becomes effective, acquired resistance has become common. Drug resistance is often associated to decreased levels of caspase-3. PTEN acts as a tumor suppressor and inhibits PTEN from phosphorylating Akt which further promotes cell proliferation. Resistance sustains due to insensitivity of cancerous cells to chemotherapeutic agents. Studies on mechanisms of cancer drug resistance have yielded important information about how to circumvent this resistance to improve cancer chemotherapy and have implications for pharmacokinetics of many commonly used drugs. Our results suggest that combination of doxorubicin and saikosaponin can be used as combination to treat cancerous cells effectively and increased activity of caspase-3 can promote cell apoptosis result and result in recovering cells from tumorigenesis.