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Curcumin induces apoptosis through mitochondrial pathway and caspases activation in human melanoma cells

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Abstract

Melanoma is the most malignant skin cancer and is highly resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Curcumin is a component of turmeric, the yellow spice derived from the rhizome of Curcuma longa. It has been demonstrated to modulate multiple cell signaling pathways, including apoptosis, proliferation, angiogenesis and inflammation. In this study, we studied the signaling pathways involved in melanoma cell death after treatment with curcumin using western blotting. Colorimetric assays (MTT) assessed cell viability. Flow cytometry and DNA laddering evaluated cell apoptosis. Fluorescent microscopy was used to evaluate of Hoechst 33342 staining of nuclei. The result demonstrated that curcumin could induce apoptosis and inhibit proliferation in melanoma cells. Curcumin stimulated the expression of pro-apoptotic Bax, and inhibited the activation of anti-apoptotic Mcl-1 and Bcl-2. During curcumin treatment, caspase-8 and Caspase-3 were cleaved in time and dose-dependent manners. Curcumin treatment also altered the expressions of apoptosis associated proteins NF-κB, p38 and p53. Curcumin induced DNA double strand breaks, which were indicated by phosphorylated H2AX. Our data suggested that curcumin could be used as a novel and effective approach for the treatment of melanoma.

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Acknowledgments

This project is supported by Grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81372916), the science and technology Department of Jiangsu province (No. BK20141142), the Science and Technology Department of Xuzhou city (No. XM13B084), the “Six Talent Peaks” Project of Jiangsu Province (No. 2013-WSN-014), and Xuzhou Medical Young Talents Project.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biological Cancer Therapy, Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou, 221002, China

    Ai-Jun Jiang, Guan Jiang, Lian-Tao Li & Jun-Nian Zheng

  2. Department of Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou, 221002, China

    Ai-Jun Jiang

  3. Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Xuzhou City, Xuzhou, 221006, China

    Guan Jiang

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  1. Ai-Jun Jiang
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  2. Guan Jiang
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  3. Lian-Tao Li
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Correspondence to Guan Jiang or Jun-Nian Zheng.

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Jiang, AJ., Jiang, G., Li, LT. et al. Curcumin induces apoptosis through mitochondrial pathway and caspases activation in human melanoma cells. Mol Biol Rep 42, 267–275 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-014-3769-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-014-3769-2

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