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The short-time treatment with curcumin sufficiently decreases cell viability, induces apoptosis and copper enhances these effects in multidrug-resistant K562/A02 cells

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Abstract

The anti-cancer activities of curcumin (CUR), a polyphenol derived from the plant Curcuma longa, has been extensively studied. In the present study, we found that CUR displayed anti-multidrug-resistant (MDR) activity in K562/A02 cells. A short-time treatment with CUR sufficiently and equally induced DNA damage, decreased cell viability, and triggered apoptosis in parent K562 and MDR K562/A02 cells. The short-time treatment with CUR also caused decrease of pro-caspase 3 in both cell lines and decrease of pro-caspase 9, increase of PARP cleavage and the ratio of Bax/Bcl-xL in MDR K562/A02 cells. Further experiment revealed that CUR was capable of down-regulating P-glycoprotein in MDR K562/A02 cells. Moreover, we observed that Cu2+ enhanced CUR-mediated apoptosis which was blocked by antioxidants N-acetyl-cysteine and catalase. In summary, the short-time treatment with CUR sufficiently induced DNA damage, decreased cell viability and triggered apoptosis in MDR K562/A02 cells and Cu2+ enhanced CUR-mediated apoptosis which due to reactive oxygen species generation.

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Abbreviations

CAT:

Catalase

CUR:

Curcumin

DOX:

Doxorubicin

MDR:

Multidrug-resistant

MTT:

Tetrazolium bromide

NAC:

N-acetyl-cysteine

RF:

Resistance factor

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

VP16:

Etoposide

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Acknowledgments

We extremely thank Ms. Si-Meng Chen, Mr. Guo-Sheng Wu, and Mr. Lin-Jiang Tong, for their technical help.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China

    Jin-Jian Lu

  2. Division of Anti-tumor Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institutes of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, 201203, People’s Republic of China

    Jin-Jian Lu, Yu-Jun Cai & Jian Ding

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  1. Jin-Jian Lu
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  2. Yu-Jun Cai
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  3. Jian Ding
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Correspondence to Yu-Jun Cai or Jian Ding.

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Lu, JJ., Cai, YJ. & Ding, J. The short-time treatment with curcumin sufficiently decreases cell viability, induces apoptosis and copper enhances these effects in multidrug-resistant K562/A02 cells. Mol Cell Biochem 360, 253–260 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-011-1064-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-011-1064-2

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