Effects of Pharmaceuticals Used Against COVID-19 on HDAC Activity and Inflammation in Cell Line Obtained from a Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Patient

Different doses of various drugs were used in the treatment of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that affected the whole world. Since these drugs are not directly related to COVID-19, it was very important to elucidate their effects. Studies have shown that COVID-19 is closely related to colorectal cancer. Our study examines the effects of Lopinavir/ritonavir, hydroxychloroquine, favipiravir, and oseltamivir, as well as their active ingredients used during COVID-19 treatment, on the histone deacetylase enzyme (HDAC) in colorectal cancer cells. Thus, it is aimed to provide a different perspective on the relationship between pandemic and colorectal cancer. In this study, the effects of the applied drugs on cell viability were evaluated with 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) analysis, acridine orange/propidium iodide (AO/PI) staining and histone deacetylase enzyme activity was evaluated in colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (Caco-2) with HDAC assay. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the inflammatory effects on the cells due to the application were assessed based on the expression levels of interleukin 10 (IL-10), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Experimental groups showed continued cell viability, and an increase in HDAC enzyme activity was observed. This increase was found to effectively influence the IL-6 expression, which is believed to enhance inflammation.