A comparison of the effect of curcumin treatment on apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy in a MCF-7 mammary adenocarcinoma and a MCF-12A healthy mammary epithelial cell line

[摘要] Breast cancer is currently the primary cause of cancer-related death in womenworldwide. Conventional treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy have manydeleterious and long lasting side-effects, some of which are permanent, such asinfertility. As certain tumour cells can also acquire resistance to chemotherapy, theneed for the development of a less severe, yet more effective, targeted anti-cancertreatment exists. Curcumin, a plant polyphenol from Curcuma longa, has long beenthought to possess antitumour, antioxidant, anti-arthritic, anti-amyloid, anti-ischemicand anti-inflammatory properties. Numerous studies conducted over the past sixtyyears confirm this. We aimed at examining the effect of curcumin on cell viability andthe different modes of cell death, namely apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy, in theMCF-12A (non-tumorigenic mammary epithelial) and MCF-7 (mammaryadenocarcinoma) cell lines.Cells were incubated with different doses of curcumin to evaluate the dose responsethrough a MTT assay. Thereafter, cells were incubated with 200 μM curcumin for48 hrs and stained with markers and DNA stains for apoptosis (Hoechst, Caspase-3,PARP), necrosis (Propidium Iodide) and autophagy (LC3B and Beclin-1). Cells wereexamined via fluorescence microscopy, Western Blot- and FACS analyses. MTTresults showed no significant decrease in viability in the MCF-12A cell line aftercurcumin treatment. However, a significant decrease in viability was observed inMCF-7 cells after treatment with 200 μM curcumin (p < 0.05). Treated MCF-7 cellsalso show clear LC3B expression. FACS results show a significant difference inHoechst mean fluorescence intensity in MCF-7 cells after curcumin treatment (p <0.05). This study provides evidence that MCF-7 cells respond to a 200 μM dose of curcumin treatment through metabolic change and induction of the autophagicpathway. The model system used in this study provides groundwork for further cellculture based studies regarding breast cancer and curcumin.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University