Margarita González-Vallinas, Susana Molina, Gonzalo Vicente, Ana de la Cueva, Teodoro Vargas, Mónica R. García-Risco, Tiziana Fornari, Guillermo Reglero and Ana Ramírez de Molina

IMDEA-Food Institute, CEI UAM+CSIC, Building CLAID - PCM C / Faraday, 7, 1st floor D1.06Cantoblanco University City, Ctra Colmenar Km 15.28049 Madrid, Spain

Abstract:

Resistance is the most frequent cause of cancer treatment failure, and new strategies to overcome it are urgently needed. The aim of this work was to determine the potential of a supercritical fluid rosemary extract (SFRE), recognized as a healthy component by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), as an adjuvant approach to synergize with chemotherapy and avoid resistance. SFRE was assayed for antitumoral properties alone and in combination with one of the most used chemotherapeutic agent in colorectal and breast cancer, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Additionally, colon cancer cells resistant to 5-FU were used to assay the effects of SFRE on drug resistance, and qRT-PCR was performed to ascertain the mechanism by which SFRE potentiates the effect of 5-FU. Our results show that SFRE displays specific and dose-dependent antitumor activities, exerts a synergistic effect in combination with 5-FU, and sensitizes 5-FU-resistant cells to the therapeutic activity of this drug.