RESUMEN
CONTEXT: Anticancer properties of artemisinin and its derivatives have been shown in many experiments. AIMS: Addition of butyric acid, miconazole, and iron to this traditional drug has been done in order to enhance its anticancer potency. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cell lines 5637 and 4T1, were cultivated and classified into 13 groups of three each. Different doses of artemisinin with constant doses of iron, miconazole and butyric acid, were added to the cultures. At the end of exposure pathological and enzymatic studies were performed. RESULTS: In four groups treated with different doses of artemisinin and iron, dose-dependent changes were observed. These changes included apoptosis and necrosis with dominance of apoptosis. The supernatant lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level was increased in a dose-dependent manner, but there was no significant increase in the cell fraction of malonyldialdehyde (MDA) or LDH. In four other groups, which received miconazole, butyric acid and iron in addition to different doses of artemisinin, necrosis was more prominent than apoptosis, and the MDA level did not show any significant change, but LDH was increased. The groups treated with miconazole showed identical changes, with less severity compared to combination therapy groups. In butyric acid-treated groups, the only detectable changes were, mild cell swelling, few apoptosis, and rare necrosis. CONCLUSIONS: A combination therapy with artemisinin can be more effective against cancer cells than monotherapy with that. Butyric acid was not effective on cancer cells. Miconazole deviated the nature of cell death from apoptosis to necrosis and it must be used under caution.