International Journal of Molecular Sciences Article Synergistic Combinations of Curcumin, Sulforaphane, and Dihydrocaffeic Acid against Human Colon Cancer Cells Jesús Santana-Gálvez 1 , Javier Villela-Castrejón 1 , Sergio O. Serna-Saldívar 1, Luis Cisneros-Zevallos 2 and Daniel A. Jacobo-Velázquez 1,* 1 Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, Monterrey, NL C.P. 64849, Mexico;
[email protected] (J.S.-G.);
[email protected] (J.V.-C.);
[email protected] (S.O.S.-S.) 2 Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2133, USA;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +52-33-3669-3000 Received: 12 April 2020; Accepted: 26 April 2020; Published: 28 April 2020 Abstract: Nutraceutical combinations that act synergistically could be a powerful solution against colon cancer, which is the second deadliest malignancy worldwide. In this study, curcumin (C), sulforaphane (S), and dihydrocaffeic acid (D, a chlorogenic acid metabolite) were evaluated, individually and in different combinations, over the viability of HT-29 and Caco-2 colon cancer cells, and compared against healthy fetal human colon (FHC) cells. The cytotoxic concentrations to kill 50%, 75%, and 90% of the cells (CC50, CC75, and CC90) were obtained, using the MTS assay. Synergistic, additive, and antagonistic effects were determined by using the combination index (CI) method. The 1:1 combination of S and D exerted synergistic effects against HT-29 at 90% cytotoxicity level (doses 90:90 µM), whereas CD(1:4) was synergistic at all cytotoxicity levels (9:36–34:136 µM) and CD(9:2) at 90% (108:24 µM) against Caco-2 cells.