Determination of apoptotic effects of newly synthesized avobenzone Sm(III) complex in non-small cell lung cancer

In this study, we aimed to investigate the apoptotic effects of the lanthanide complex TBK-23, which was used in biological imaging due to its magnetic and spectroscopic properties. The study utilized HTB-54 and BEAS-2B cell lines. The cells were subjected to TBK-23 and cisplatin at active doses for a duration of 24 hours. Subsequently, flow cytometry was employed to assess the quantity of apoptotic cells, while quantitative RT-PCR was used to measure the expression levels of BAX, BCL-2, and BCL-xL. While cisplatin at 31 µM increased the proapoptotic BAX expression level in HTB-54 and BEAS-2B cells, TBK-23 increased BAX in cancer cells at the same concentration, but there was no observable effect in healthy cells. TBK-23 was found to have higher inhibitory effect on the expression of the antiapoptotic BCL-2 gene in cancer cells compared to that of cisplatin-treated cells. Consequently, it was determined that TBK-23, a novel metal-based compound, exhibited apoptotic effects similar to that of cisplatin and could be a potential chemotherapeutic agent.