Fig. 4

shows that SFN enhances PTX-induced cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis without affecting the number of necrotic PC-3 cells. The flow cytometry analysis of cell-cycle growth phases demonstrated that PTX or SFN treatments increased the sub-G1 population, indicating apoptotic cell death. The combination treatment of PTX and SFN showed a greater effect than either agent alone. The scatter plots of cells double-stained with propidium iodide and Annexin V showed that both PTX and SFN treatments increased the number of necrotic cells compared to non-stimulated cells. However, the combination treatment did not show a significant increase in the number of necrotic cells compared to the individual treatments. These results suggest that SFN enhances the apoptotic effect of PTX in PC-3 cells without increasing the number of necrotic cells. The data were obtained from five independent experiments and are presented as box-and-whisker plots for cell-cycle analysis and scatter plots for apoptotic (A) and necrotic (B) effects. Significant differences were determined using the Student’s t-test for two-group comparisons. (***p ≤ 0.001)