Ultrasound induces cellular destruction of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in the presence of curcumin.
OBJECTIVE
Curcumin, a natural pigment from the traditional Chinese herb, has shown promise as an efficient enhancer of ultrasound. The present study aims to investigate ultrasound-induced cellular destruction of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in the presence of curcumin in vitro.


METHODS
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line CNE2 cells were incubated by 10μm curcumin and then were treated by ultrasound for 8s at the intensity of 0.46W/cm(2). Cytotoxicity was evaluated using MTT assay and light microscopy. Mitochondrial damage was analyzed using a confocal laser scanning microcopy with Rhodamine 123 and ultrastructural changes were observed using a transmission electron microscopy (TEM).


RESULTS
MTT assay showed that cytotoxicity induced by ultrasound treatment alone and curcumin treatment alone was 18.16±2.37% and 24.93±8.30%, respectively. The cytotoxicity induced by the combined treatment of ultrasound and curcumin significantly increased up to 86.67±7.78%. TEM showed that microvillin disappearance, membrane blebbing, chromatin condensation, swollen mitochondria, and mitochondrial myelin-like body were observed in the cells treated by ultrasound and curcumin together. The significant collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was markedly observed in the CNE2 cells after the combined treatment of curcumin and ultrasound.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings demonstrated that ultrasound sonication in the presence of curcumin significantly killed the CNE2 cells and induced ultrastructural damage and the dysfunction of mitochondria, suggesting that ultrasound treatment remarkably induced cellular destruction of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in the presence of curcumin.
Wang
Xinna
X
Department of Photodynamic and Sondynamic Therapy, The Second Affiliated Hospital, The Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Xia
Xinshu
X
Leung
Albert Wingnang
AW
Xiang
Junyan
J
Jiang
Yuan
Y
Wang
Ping
P
Xu
Jing
J
Yu
Heping
H
Bai
Dingqun
D
Xu
Chuanshan
C
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003474:Curcumin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D014464:Ultrasonic Therapy / Q000379:methods*
D003474:Curcumin