Deciphering the molecular mechanism and apoptosis underlying the in-vitro and in-vivo chemotherapeutic efficacy of vanadium luteolin complex in colon cancer.

The present study demonstrates that the effect of vanadium-luteolin complex in HT-29 cells and dimethylhydrazine challenged rats, curtail cell proliferation through induction of apoptosis mediated via activation of the key proteins involved in the intrinsic pathway like p53, Bax, caspase-3 and downregulating Bcl2, mTOR/Akt, angiogenic factor VEGF along with aberrant crypt foci formation multiplicity, and PCNA in the colon mucosa. Our combinatorial approach shows higher efficacy at considerably lower doses minimizing side effects. Insights into in-vitro and in-vivo results provide strong proof that low dose chemotherapeutic regimens can suppress, reverse, or delay the progression of colon cancer by modulating intrinsic apoptotic as well as antiangiogenic pathways.