Comparison of the effects of propranolol and norepinephrine on the toxicity of Caco-2 cancer cell lines at three times: 24, 48, and 96 hours

Background: Colorectal cancer is among the most common cancers in developed and developing societies.Studies have shown that lifestyle and especially stress can be effective in getting this condition.Considering the key role of norepinephrine in the occurrence of stress and the frequency of use of stress-suppressing drugs such as propranolol, this research aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity of norepinephrine and propranolol on colorectal cell lines by the MTT assay method.Materials and methods: The Caco-2 cell line was purchased from the cell bank of the Pasteur Institute Research Center of Iran.After cell culture, it was treated with serial concentrations (0-100g/mL) of propranolol and norepinephrine for 24, 48, and 96 hours, and the toxicity of the treatments was evaluated with the MTT assay test, compared to the control group.Results: After 24 hours of cell culture with the treatments, there was no significant change in the growth rate of the cells.After 48 hours, only propranolol at a concentration of 30.11 g/mL could lead to 50% mortality.After 96 hours, propranolol with a concentration of 3.42 g/mL and norepinephrine with a concentration of 91.1 g/mL showed 50% growth inhibition.Conclusion: According to the data obtained from the research, it seems that although both additives had a toxic effect on the cells, propranolol had more toxicity on Caco-2 colorectal cancer cells than norepinephrine.Further studies are suggested in the field of new clinical applications for propranolol.