Journal List > Korean J Hematol > v.40(2) > 1032654

Cho, Kim, Park, Ahn, Kim, Bae, Park, Kim, and Yoon: Apoptosis Induction by Curcumin in Human Myelogenous Leukemia Cell Lines

Abstract

Background

Curcumin, a naturally occurring biologically active compound extracted from rhizomes of Curcuma species, has been shown to possess potent anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and anti-oxidative properties. The effects and possible mechanism of this agent were investigated on 2 human myelogenous leukemic cell lines.

Methods

K562 and KG-1 cells were the two cell lines selected. The MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to assess the cytotoxicity and for cell cycle analysis, respectively. The protein expressions were analyzed by Western blotting; the caspase activity was also checked.

Results

Both cell lines showed dose-dependent susceptibility to curcumin, and the cell cycle analysis showed an increased sub-G1 phase in the KG-1 cells. In the K562 cell, curcumin down regulated the expressions of PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) and cyclins D1 and B1. The expression of Akt was also down-regulated, but caspase-3 was activated to induce cleaved PARP (polyadenosine ribose polymerase) and apoptosis. However, the expression of phospho-Erk was unaffected. Co-treatment of cyclosporin A (CsA) with curcumin resulted in an attenuation of apoptosis in the K562 cells, implying curcumin-induced apoptosis is dependent on the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria.

Conclusion

Curcumin induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in both human myelogenous leukemic cell lines, with the apoptosis appearing to be dependent on the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria.

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Fig. 1.
Chemical structure of curcumin.
kjh-40-75f1.tif
Fig. 2.
Dose and time dependency of curcumin effect on the leukemic cell line K562 and KG-1. Curcumin was treated at various concentrations and times (A) and then its concentration was fixed at 25μM (B). C urcumin at 110~130μM concentration reduced cell viability by 45~50% and KG-1 showed more time-dependent pattern of cytotoxicity to curcumin.
kjh-40-75f2.tif
Fig. 3.
The effect of curcumin on the cell cycle progression. K562 and KG-1 were PI stained at 24hrs, 48hrs, 72hrs after treatment with curcumin 10μM. KG-1 cells in sub-G1 phase were increased at 24hrs, but K562 cells appeared not affected.
kjh-40-75f3.tif
Fig. 4.
Western blot results of cyclin D1, cdk4 at curcumin 10μM. The expressions of cdk4 and cyclin D1 were not decreased in K562 cells at this concentration.
kjh-40-75f4.tif
Fig. 5.
C urcumin effect on cell cycle and apoptosis. curcumin caused decreased expression of cyclin D1, B1, and PCNA but not cyclin A at after treatment of curcumin at 100 μM for 6hours in K562 cells. Apoptosis was induced by curcumin exposure of either 100μM for 6hours or 25μM for 24hrs.
kjh-40-75f5.tif
Fig. 6.
The expression of phospho-Erk Akt, bcl-2 after treatment with curcumin at 25μMAkt was decreased within an hour and bcl-2 was also reduced rapidly in KG-1 cell. However, phospho-Erk was not affected by curcumin.
kjh-40-75f6.tif
Fig. 7.
Activity of caspase 3 treated with various concentrations of curcumin, cyclosporin A (C sA), and cyclosporin A+ curcumin in K562 cell.
kjh-40-75f7.tif
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