Figure 1. Cytostatic/cytotoxic effects of 5-FU on cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells.

The cytostatic effect of 5-FU on HCMs (A) was not marked but statistically significant starting at 48 hours and from 10 μM 5-FU. The inhibitory effect of 5-FU was significant in endothelial cells (B) already after 24 hours at the intermediate concentration of 10 μM. The inhibition of cell viability was maintained up to 96 hours. Drug efficacy was also tested on the HT29 and HCT116 colorectal cancer cell lines (C, D). Mean ± S.E.M. of four different experiments for each cell type is shown. (E) MTT data at 72 hours were used to calculate the EC₅₀ values using the non-linear regression function of GraphPad Prism. 5-FU concentrations are reported in μM on a Log₍₁₀₎ scale, DMSO: 0.2% DMSO (vehicle) negative control, 0.1% saponin, positive control.