title: Curcumin-induced apoptosis in human leukemia cell HL-60 is associated with inhibition of telomerase activity.
abstract: Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a natural cancer chemopreventive compound, has been tested for its action in acute myeloblastic leukemia cell line HL-60. The results clearly show that curcumin induces apoptosis in these cells as evidenced by the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to the cytosol and increase in the DNA content in sub G1 region as observed in FACS analysis. Apoptosis is apparently mediated by up-regulation of apoptotic gene bax and simultaneous down-regulation of anti-apoptotic gene bcl-2 followed by activation of caspases 3 and 8 and degradation of PARP. Telomerase, a reverse transcriptase, has been found to be activated in more than 80% of human cancers and, therefore, can be considered as a potential marker for tumorigenesis. Certain natural compounds have the potential of inhibiting telomerase activity leading to suppression of cell viability and induction of apoptosis. The present study shows that curcumin-induced apoptosis coincides with the inhibition of telomerase activity in a dose dependent manner.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Carcinogenesis & Toxicology, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, 37, S.P. Mukherjee Road, Kolkata 700 026, India.
authors.forename: Sutapa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mukherjee Nee Chakraborty
authors.forename: Utpal
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: N P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Bhattacharyya
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Bhattacharya
authors.forename: Subhabrata
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dey
authors.forename: Madhumita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roy
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D053181:Caspase 8 / Q000378:metabolism; D003474:Curcumin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D045304:Cytochromes c / Q000378:metabolism; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D018922:HL-60 Cells; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology*; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational / Q000187:drug effects; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D019098:Telomerase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D045304:Cytochromes c; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases; D019098:Telomerase; D053148:Caspase 3; D053181:Caspase 8; D003474:Curcumin