title: Synergistic inhibitory effects of curcumin and 5-fluorouracil on the growth of the human colon cancer cell line HT-29.
abstract: The synergistic effect of combination treatment with COX-2 inhibitors and chemotherapy may be another promising therapy regimen in the future treatment of colorectal cancer. Curcumin, a major yellow pigment in turmeric which is used widely all over the world, inhibits the growth of human colon cancer cell line HT-29 significantly and specifically inhibits the expression of COX-2 protein. However, the worldwide exposure of populations to curcumin raised the question of whether this agent would enhance or inhibit the effects of chemotherapy. In this report, we evaluated the growth-inhibitory effect of curcumin and a traditional chemotherapy agent, 5-FU, against the proliferation of a human colon cancer cell line (HT-29). The combination effect was quantitatively determined using the method of median-effect principle and the combination index. The inhibition of COX-2 expression after treatment with the curcumin-5-FU combination was also evaluated by Western blot analysis. The IC(50) value in the HT-29 cells for curcumin was 15.9 +/- 1.96 microM and for 5-FU it was 17.3 +/- 1.85 microM. When curcumin and 5-FU were used concurrently, synergistic inhibition of growth was quantitatively demonstrated. The level of COX-2 protein expression was reduced almost 6-fold after the combination treatment. Our results demonstrate synergism between curcumin and 5-FU at higher doses against the human colon cancer cell line HT-29. This synergism was associated with the decreased expression of COX-2 protein.
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology, Dalian Medical University, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Boyu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Laifu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhong
mesh_terms: D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D003474:Curcumin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects; D019073:HT29 Cells; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D003474:Curcumin; D005472:Fluorouracil