Antitumor Effect of IL-2 and TRAIL Proteins Expressed by Recombinant Salmonella in Murine Bladder Cancer Cells

Background/Aims: Cancer is the second most deadly disease in the world. The bladder cancer is one of the most aggressive types and shows a continuous increase in the number of cases. The use of bacteria as live vectors to deliver molecules directly to the tumor is a promising tool and has been used as an adjuvant treatment against several types of cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the antitumor effect of Interleukin 2 (IL-2), TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and protein MIX against murine bladder cancer cells, lineage MB49. Methods: The attenuated Salmonella strain SL3261 was transformed by inserting the IL-2 and TRAIL genes. The effects of proteins on cell viability (MTT method), cell morphology (optical microscopy), cell recovery (clonogenic assay), cell membrane (lactate dehydrogenase release - LDH), on oxidative stress pathway (levels of nitric oxide, NO) and apoptosis (flow cytometry and high resolution epifluorescence images) were evaluated at intervals of 24 and 48 hours of action. Results: The results showed that there was a decrease in cell viability via damage to the cell membrane, alteration of cell morphology, non-recovery of cells, increase in the production of NO and incubate for of cells in the state of apoptosis in the two periods analyzed. Conclusion: The data presented suggest that IL-2, TRAIL and their MIX proteins in MB49 cells have cytotoxic potential and that this is associated with oxidative stress and apoptosis pathways. These results may contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies for bladder cancer.