Effects of curcumin on bladder cancer cells and development of urothelial tumors in a rat bladder carcinogenesis model

Cancer Lett. 2008 Jun 18;264(2):299-308. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2008.01.041. Epub 2008 Mar 14.

Abstract

Curcumin, a well-known dietary pigment derived from Curcuma longa, inhibited growth of several types of malignant cells both in vivo and in vitro. Its effects on cell proliferation and the induction of apoptosis in human bladder cancer cell lines and intravesical activity in a rat bladder tumor model were studied. Exposure of human bladder cancer cells to curcumin resulted in the induction of apoptotic cell death and caused cells to arrest in the G2/M phase. The anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and Survivin protein was downregulated by the curcumin treatment together with enhancement of the Bax and p53 expression. The inhibitory activities of curcumin were stronger than those of cisplatin and could not be prevented by catalase pretreatment in T24 cells. Clonal assay indicated large-dose and short-term curcumin was lethal to bladder cancer cells. Moreover, the in vivo study revealed curcumin did induce apoptosis in situ, inhibit and slow the development of bladder cancer. These observations suggest that curcumin could prove an effective chemopreventive and chemotherapy agent for bladder cancer.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Cycle / drug effects
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Curcumin / therapeutic use*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Humans
  • Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins / drug effects
  • Neoplasm Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Neoplasm Proteins / drug effects
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / biosynthesis
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / drug effects
  • Rats
  • Survivin
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / biosynthesis
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / drug effects
  • Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein / biosynthesis
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein / drug effects

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • BIRC5 protein, human
  • Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins
  • Neoplasm Proteins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
  • Survivin
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein
  • Curcumin