Could the local anesthetics levobupivacaine and ropivacaine be used to treat colon cancer?

Purpose: Colon cancer is among the most common causes of death among cancers, and in the treatment of colon cancer, adjuvant chemotherapy is applied mainly after curative surgery, to prevent recurrence and metastases after resection. In recent years, local anesthetics have received increasing attention in cancer research. This study aimed to investigate the proliferative and apoptotic effects of local anesthetics levobupivacaine and ropivacaine on SW480 colon cancer cells.Materials and Methods: In the study, different concentrations and durations of levobupivacaine and ropivacaine were applied to the SW480 colon cancer cell line and their effect on proliferation was determined by MTT analysis. The TUNEL method was used to determine its apoptotic activity. The results were evaluated statistically.Results: It was determined that levobupivacaine and ropivacaine decreased cell proliferation in SW480 colon cancer cells depending on dose and time. It was also observed to promote apoptosis in colon cancer cells.Conclusion: According to the study data, it was determined that levobupivacaine and ropivacaine acted cytotoxic by activating apoptosis in SW480 colon cancer cells. It is thought that these data will lead to multidisciplinary studies to elucidate the antitumor effect mechanism of local anesthetics.