Nerolidol assists Cisplatin to induce early apoptosis in human laryngeal carcinoma Hep 2 cells through ROS and mitochondrial‐mediated pathway: An in vitro and in silico view

The objective of this study was to examine Nerolidol (NER) and Cisplatin (CIS) performed against human laryngeal carcinoma (Hep 2) cells. We evaluated the effect of NER, CIS, and NER + CIS on cell viability, cell migration, oxidative stress, mitochondrial membrane depolarization, nuclear condensation, apoptotic induction, and DNA damage in Hep 2 cells. We used the MTT assay to assess the cytotoxicity effect of NER and CIS on Hep 2 cells in terms of morphological alterations. Present results demonstrated that IC50 values of NER and CIS have potential cytotoxicity against Hep 2 cells. NER effectively inhibited cell viability, increased reactive oxygen species generation, apoptotic induction, and DNA damage in Hep 2 cells. In addition, the docking study evaluated the structural binding interaction of NER with PI3K/Akt and PCNA protein. Furthermore, NER with PI3K/Akt, PCNA has a higher crucial score and affinity. Present results infer that NER could be used to target signaling molecules in anticancer studies. Practical applications Nerolidol is a dietary phytochemical with high biological activity that can find in a variety of plants. Many researchers focused on Nerolidol to treat various diseases including cancer. However, there is no studies exist on laryngeal cancer. This study uses Nerolidol and Cisplatin to generate oxidative stress and stimulate apoptosis and DNA damage in human laryngeal cancer cells. Based on present findings, Nerolidol could be a choice of anticancer medication, either alone or in combination against oral squamous cell carcinomas in both in vitro and in vivo experimental systems.