Curcumin suppresses colon cancer cell invasion via AMPK-induced inhibition of NF-κB, uPA activator and MMP9

  • Authors:
    • Weihua Tong
    • Quan Wang
    • Donghui Sun
    • Jian Suo
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  • Published online on: September 16, 2016     https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2016.5148
  • Pages: 4139-4146
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Abstract

Curcumin, an active nontoxic ingredient of turmeric, possesses potent anti‑inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cancer properties; however, the molecular mechanisms of curcumin are not fully understood. The transcription factor nuclear factor-κB (NF‑κB) is key in cellular processes, and the expression/activation of urokinase‑type plasminogen activator (uPA) and matrix metalloproteinase‑9 (MMP9) are crucial for cell invasion. The present study investigated the hypothesis that curcumin inhibits colon cancer cell invasion by modulating NF‑κB‑mediated expression and activation of uPA and MMP9. Human colon cancer SW480 and LoVo cells were treated with various concentrations of curcumin. Curcumin was demonstrated to dose‑dependently inhibit the adhesion and proliferation ability of LoVo and SW480 cells using Transwell and MTT assays, respectively. In addition, curcumin activated 5' AMP‑activated protein kinase (AMPK) and suppressed p65 NF‑κB phosphorylation, as shown by western blot analysis. Compound C, a potent AMPK inhibitor, abolished curcumin‑induced inhibition of NF‑κB, uPA and MMP9, suggesting that AMPK activation is responsible for curcumin‑mediated NF‑κB, uPA and MMP9 inhibition. The binding activity of NF‑κB to DNA was examined and western blotting and quantitative polymerase reaction was performed to detect the effect of curcumin on the expression of uPA and MMP9. The present results revealed that curcumin significantly decreased the expression of uPA and MMP9 and NF‑κB DNA binding activity. Furthermore, curcumin decreased the level of the p65 subunit of NF‑κB binding to the promoter of the gene encoding uPA and MMP9, which suppressed transcriptional activation of uPA and MMP9. Overall, the present data suggest that curcumin inhibits colon cancer cell invasion via AMPK activation and subsequent inhibition of p65 NF‑κB, uPA and MMP9. The therapeutic potential of curcumin for colon cancer metastasis required additional study.
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November-2016
Volume 12 Issue 5

Print ISSN: 1792-1074
Online ISSN:1792-1082

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Spandidos Publications style
Tong W, Wang Q, Sun D and Suo J: Curcumin suppresses colon cancer cell invasion via AMPK-induced inhibition of NF-κB, uPA activator and MMP9. Oncol Lett 12: 4139-4146, 2016.
APA
Tong, W., Wang, Q., Sun, D., & Suo, J. (2016). Curcumin suppresses colon cancer cell invasion via AMPK-induced inhibition of NF-κB, uPA activator and MMP9. Oncology Letters, 12, 4139-4146. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2016.5148
MLA
Tong, W., Wang, Q., Sun, D., Suo, J."Curcumin suppresses colon cancer cell invasion via AMPK-induced inhibition of NF-κB, uPA activator and MMP9". Oncology Letters 12.5 (2016): 4139-4146.
Chicago
Tong, W., Wang, Q., Sun, D., Suo, J."Curcumin suppresses colon cancer cell invasion via AMPK-induced inhibition of NF-κB, uPA activator and MMP9". Oncology Letters 12, no. 5 (2016): 4139-4146. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2016.5148