title: Curcumin exerts inhibitory effects on undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma by inhibiting the expression of miR-125a-5p.
abstract: Curcumin suppresses proliferation, migration, invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis and induces apoptosis by regulating multiple signalling pathways and miRNAs in a wide variety of human malignancies. miRNAs play crucial roles in various steps of carcinogenesis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC); thus, they could serve as critical therapeutic targets for NPC treatment. Curcumin could provide a novel strategy to block or induce specific miRNAs for miRNA-based gene therapies. Nevertheless, there are no reports to date on the miRNAs regulated by curcumin in NPC. In the present study, we have carried out an miRNA microarray to identify the miRNAs regulated by curcumin in NPC. Curcumin treatment down-regulated the expression of hsa-miR-125a-5p, hsa-miR-574-3p and hsa-miR-210 as determined by miRNA microarray analysis and qPCR (real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR). Forced expression of miR-125a-5p enhanced proliferation, migration and invasion of HONE1 cells. Primary NPC exhibited a significantly higher expression level of miR-125a-5p than healthy controls. miR-125a-5p inhibited the expression of tumour protein 53 (TP53), and curcumin treatment up-regulated the expression of TP53. Taken together, these results indicate that curcumin exerted inhibitory effects on NPC by inhibiting the expression of miR-125a-5p and, subsequently, enhancing the expression of TP53. Curcumin could provide a novel strategy to block miR-125a-5p for miRNA-based gene therapies in NPC.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: *Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Jimmy Yu-Wai
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: *Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Thian-Sze
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002648:Child; D003474:Curcumin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D034622:RNA Interference; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000235:genetics; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C531888:MIRN125 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D003474:Curcumin