Combined treatment of Caco-2 cells with butyrate and mesalazine inhibits cell proliferation and reduces Survivin protein level

There is epidemiological evidence, that mesalazine can inhibit colon cancer development by affecting proliferation and apoptosis. Several studies suggest that supplementary intake of butyrate may yield to improved efficacy of mesalazine. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of such interaction remain unknown. This study addressed the combinatory effect of both substances on the growth of Caco-2 cells. Challenging of cells with mesalazine and butyrate provoked a time-dependent decrease in both cell counts and proliferation. Co-treatment with the substances could further intensify these effects. The growth-inhibitory action of mesalazine and butyrate was accompanied by a significant increase in caspase-3 activity, cleavage of PARP and caspase-8, while decreasing the expression of Xiap and Survivin simultaneously. Co-incubation of both substances exaggerated effects on all examined apoptosis-regulatory proteins except for Xiap. Our data demonstrate that co-treatment of mesalazine and butyrate evoked additive effects on inhibition of cell growth and induction of apoptosis in Caco-2 cells.