1. Academic Validation
  2. Curcumin induces apoptosis in human gastric carcinoma AGS cells and colon carcinoma HT-29 cells through mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum stress

Curcumin induces apoptosis in human gastric carcinoma AGS cells and colon carcinoma HT-29 cells through mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum stress

  • Apoptosis. 2013 Nov;18(11):1391-1402. doi: 10.1007/s10495-013-0871-1.
Aili Cao 1 Qi Li 2 Peihao Yin 2 Yang Dong 1 Hailian Shi 1 Li Wang 2 Guang Ji 3 Jianqun Xie 4 Dazheng Wu 5 6
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China.
  • 2 Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China.
  • 3 Institute of Digestive Diseases, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, China.
  • 4 Institute of Digestive Diseases, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, China. xiejq01@gmail.com.
  • 5 Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China. wdazheng@vip.sina.com.
  • 6 Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China. wdazheng@vip.sina.com.
Abstract

In the present study, we investigate the effect of curcumin, a major active component isolated from rhizomes of Curcuma longa, on the cytotoxicity of three human carcinoma cell lines (AGS, HT-29 and MGC803) in gastrointestinal tract and a normal gastric epithelial cell line GES-1, and the mechanism of curcumin-induced Apoptosis. The results indicated that curcumin inhibited the gastrointestinal carcinoma cell growth in a dose-dependent manner and cytotoxicity was more towards the gastric carcinoma cell AGS and colon carcinoma cell HT-29 compared to normal gastric cell GES-1, and increased externalization of phosphatidylserine residue was observed by Annexin V/PI staining in the two cell lines. Treatment of AGS and HT-29 cells with curcumin enhanced the cleavage of procaspase-3, -7, -8 and -9. Meanwhile, curcumin induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and mitochondrial dysfunction as evidenced by up-regulation of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein (CHOP), phosphorylation of JNK and down-regulation of SERCA2ATPase, release of cytochrome c, decrease of Bcl-2 and reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential in both AGS and HT-29 cells. Overexpression of Bax, total JNK, phospho-FADD and total FADD were also observed in curcumin-treated HT-29 cells. Moreover, curcumin decreased cytosolic and ER CA(2+), but increased mitochondrial CA(2+) in the two cell lines. 2-Aminoethoxydiphenyl borate, an antagonist of inositol 1, 4, 5-triphosphate receptor, partly blocked curcumin-induced cytosolic CA(2+) decrease in AGS and HT-29 cells. Additionally, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, an inhibitor of mitochondrial CA(2+) uptake, reversed curcumin-triggered AGS and HT-29 cells growth inhibition. siRNA to CHOP markedly reduced curcumin-induced Apoptosis. These results suggest that curcumin can impact on ER stress and mitochondria functional pathways in AGS and HT-29 cells, death receptor pathway was also involved in curcumin-treated HT-29 cells, thus identifying specific well-defined molecular mechanisms that may be targeted by therapeutic strategies.

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