SENSITIZING EFFECT OF CURCUMIN ON CISPLATIN-INDUCED APOPTOSIS INVOLVES SUPEROXIDEANION INDUCTION AND BCL-2 DEGRADATION
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| Title | SENSITIZING EFFECT OF CURCUMIN ON CISPLATIN-INDUCED APOPTOSIS INVOLVES SUPEROXIDEANION INDUCTION AND BCL-2 DEGRADATION |
| Authors | |
| Abstract | The possibility of using curcumin as a chemotherapeutic sensitizing agent has been intensively demonstrated in some cancers. However, the effect of curcumin on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), one of the most resistant cancers, is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the sensitizing effect of curcumin on cisplatin-induced apoptosis in NSCLC cells. Curcumin was shown to induce intracellular superoxide anion generation, down-regulate anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein, and subsequently sensitize NSCLC H460 cells to cisplatin-induced apoptosis. Amplification and overexpression of bcl-2 protein has been implicated in chemotherapeutic resistance in many cancers and overexpression of this protein strongly rendered H-460 cells resistant to cisplatin-induced apoptosis. The present study showed that co-treatment of the cells with curcumin and cisplatin resulted in increased apoptosis and reversal of Bcl-2-mediated cisplatin resistance. The mechanism by which curcumin down-regulates Bcl-2 and sensitizes cells to cisplatin-induced apoptosis involves proteasomal degradation of Bcl-2, since a specific proteasome inhibitor lactacystin reversed effect of curcumin on bcl-2 level. These findings indicate a novel pathway for curcumin regulation of Bcl-2, which benefits the development of a cisplatin sensitizing agent. |
| Publisher | African Ethnomedicines Network |
| Date | 2009-06-07 |
| Source | African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative medicines (AJTCAM) ABSTRACTS OF THE WORLD CONGRESS ON MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS, CAPE TOWN NOVEMBER 2008 |
| Rights | Articles can be used for educational and non-comercial purposes. The copyrights of articles are retained by the authors with publication rights granted to AJTCAM. |