GZ17.602, a combination of three nutraceuticals, interacts with Carboplatin and Etoposide to kill neuroblastoma

Abstract

This study examined the efficacy of GZ17.602, a combination of Harmine, Isovanillin, and Curcumin as a therapeutic for MYCN-amplified Neuroblastoma, both alone and in combination with standard of care chemotherapeutics. This was done due to the low survival rate associated with these neuroblastomas, the large degree of morbidity associated with current treatments, previous experiments in the Dent lab having shown 602 as effective for killing cancers of other types, and the current lack of understanding of the biology of GZ17.602 in solid pediatric cancers. Due to the GZ17.602 components being present at different concentrations in tumors than those administered, the Novel Ratio formulation was also evaluated. Through trypan blue exclusion assays, transfections, and immunocytochemistry, GZ17.602 was determined to cause a significant degree of cell death in the neuroblastoma cell lines evaluated via autophagy, ER stress, and both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic signaling. These results seem promising for the therapeutic potential of GZ17.602 in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma treatment, though animal studies will be required to validate these effects.