Combination of Low-Dose Sulforaphane and Docetaxel on Mitochondrial Function and Metabolic Reprogramming in Prostate Cancer Cell Lines.

Considering the limitations of monotherapies due to chemoresistance and side effects, this research aimed to determine whether low doses of sulforaphane (SFN) combined with docetaxel (DCT) could enhance therapeutic efficacy. Prostate cancer cell lines LNCaP and PC-3 were treated with individual IC50 doses of SFN and DCT and half-reduced IC50 values for the SFN:DCT combination. Metabolic markers, including glucose consumption, lactate production, reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial mass, and caspase activity, were assessed. In LNCaP cells, the SFN:DCT combination reduced cell viability to 50%, comparable to DCT monotherapy (48%). Caspase 3 activation was also higher with SFN:DCT (2.4 ± 0.75 RFU) than DCT alone (2.1 ± 0.47 RFU), while caspase 8 activation remained comparable, indicating equivalent effectiveness at lower concentrations. In PC-3 cells, the combination induced caspase 3 activation (1.16 ± 0.0484 RFU) at levels slightly lower than DCT (1.51 ± 0.2062 RFU) but achieved greater reductions in mitochondrial mass, reflecting its ability to target metabolic vulnerabilities in aggressive phenotypes. Our findings suggest that the SFN:DCT combination is a promising strategy for early-stage prostate cancer. By achieving comparable efficacy to DCT monotherapy at low doses, the SFN:DCT combination maintains the therapeutic impact, mitigating the adverse effects of conventional DCT treatment.