Abstract

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an epidemic malignant cancer in Southern China and Southeast Asia. Curcumin, an edible yellow pigment, has been shown to exert an anti-cancer activity in several tumor types. In this study, the effects of curcumin on cell growth and apoptosis were examined in the human NPC cell line CNE-2z, using the 3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-. 2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and flow cytometry. Western blotting and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to quantify pro- and anti-apoptotic gene expression. Curcumin significantly inhibited the growth of CNE-2z cells. Curcumin also induced apoptosis in CNE-2z cells, in a mechanism dependent on activation of Caspase-3, which was associated with Bax up-regulation and Bcl-2 and NF-κB down-regulation. Curcumin had no effect on Fas or caspase-8 expression. The results of this study suggest that curcumin induces apoptosis in CNE-2z cells via the intrinsic pathway.

Key words: Anti-tumor, curcumin, nasopharyngeal carcinoma.