Master’s Thesis at the University of Babylon on Prostate Cancer
The Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the College of Medicine, University of Babylon, held the defense of a master’s thesis by Nizar Amer Mansour, titled “The Effect of Coenzyme Q10 on the Efficacy of Anticancer Treatments in Prostate Cancer Cells”, under the supervision of Asst. Prof. Dr. Riyadh Hadi Hashem Al-Moussawi and Prof. Dr. Rana Iyad Ghalib.
During his defense, the researcher explained that prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men and the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men worldwide. In 2024, there were 299,010 newly diagnosed cases and 35,250 deaths globally due to this disease.
Coenzyme Q10, or ubiquinone, is a fat-soluble, vitamin-like compound classified as a benzoquinone. Its primary function is to provide cellular energy and to synthesize ATP through mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Coenzyme Q10 alone and in combination with anticancer drugs (Docetaxel, Doxorubicin, and 5-Fluorouracil) on cell viability, apoptosis, and oxidative stress in prostate cancer cell lines.
The first part of the study involved evaluating cytotoxicity and determining the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) for docetaxel, doxorubicin, and 5-fluorouracil. LNCap prostate cancer cells were exposed to various concentrations of CoQ10, docetaxel, doxorubicin, and 5-FU for 48 hours at 37°C. The optimal dose of CoQ10 was 25 ?g/mL, while the IC50 values for the other drugs were 32 ?g/mL, 50 ?g/mL, and 50 ?g/mL, respectively.
Following this, LNCap cells were exposed to different concentrations of CoQ10 in combination with IC50 concentrations of docetaxel, doxorubicin, or 5-FU, and viability assays were performed after 48 hours.
The second part of the study assessed the apoptotic and antioxidant effects of CoQ10 alone and in combination with the anticancer drugs. Based on the viability assay results, LNCap cells were treated with varying concentrations of CoQ10 alone and with IC50 concentrations of docetaxel, doxorubicin, or 5-FU, incubated for 48 hours, and apoptosis and antioxidant effects were measured by assessing caspase-3 activity.
The findings indicated that CoQ10 had antiproliferative, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic effects on LNCap cells. The combination of CoQ10 with docetaxel or doxorubicin enhanced its effects on cell viability, apoptosis induction, and oxidative stress modulation. Similarly, combining a fixed dose of CoQ10 with varying concentrations of 5-FU improved its effects on cell viability, oxidative stress, and apoptosis induction.