BAX and Hyperglycemia: We therefore focus our attention on the expression of pro- (Bax) and anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL) proteins and, as expected, we confirm that the state of hyperglycemia abolishes the pro-apoptotic effects of DOX and 5-FU by decreasing, in both HT29 and LOVO cells, the ratio Bax/Bcl-2 and Bax/Bcl-XL, taken as an indicator of susceptibility to apoptosis.