[Inhibitory effects of curcumin on apoptosis of human ovary cancer cell line A2780 and its molecular mechanism].
OBJECTIVE
Curcumin is the major effective component of curcuma, which is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine. It has been paid more attention to curcumin recently for its specific proliferation inhibition and apoptosis inducing effects on tumor cells; however, the involved mechanisms were not clear. This study was designed to explore the apoptosis inducing effects of curcumin on human ovary A2780 cell line and its related molecular mechanisms.


METHODS
A2780 cancer cells were treated with 10-50 mumol/L curcumin for 6-24 h and the growth inhibition rates of A2780 cancer cells were measured by MTT method. Cell apoptosis was inspected by flow cytometry (FCM) and acridine orange-ethidium bromide fluorescent staining method. The protein levels of NF-kappa B (P65) and Caspase-3 in cancer cells were observed by SP immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
The growth inhibition rates of the cancer cells reached 62.05%-89.24%, with the peak of sub G1 appeared on DNA histogram in FCM. Partial cells presented the characteristic morphological changes of apoptosis under the fluorescent microscope; the apoptosis rates were 21.5%-33.5%. The NF-kappa B (p65) expression was decreased while Caspase-3 expression was increased, which depended on the action time.


CONCLUSIONS
Curcumin could significantly inhibit the growth of ovary cancer cells; inducing apoptosis through up-regulating Caspase-3 and down-regulating expression of NF-kappa B was probably one of its molecular mechanisms.
Zheng
Li-duan
LD
Department of Pathology, Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, P. R. China. ld_zheng@hotmail.com
Tong
Qiang-song
QS
Wu
Cui-huan
CH
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D003474:Curcumin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D016328:NF-kappa B; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D003474:Curcumin