Objective To observe the anti-tumor effect and mechanism of curcumin on triple-negative breast cancer mouse model.Methods Human breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 were inoculated to the chest subcutaneous fat pad of mice(about 1 million cells in 0.1 mL cell suspension).At day 2 after tumor inoculation,nodules were seen at inoculation site (tumor formation rate being 100%).Forty successfully-modeled mice were randomly divided into low-,middle-,and high-dose curcumin groups (10,20,40 mg/kg) and model control group,10 mice in each group.The medication lasted for 30 continuous days.After medication,the blood was taken out from the orbital venous plexus,and the serum was separated for the detection of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) contents.Spleen was separated for the calculation of organ coefficient,tumor mass was weighed,and the expression levels of Bcl-2 and caspase-3 were detected by Western blotting method.Results Compared with the model control group,caspase-3 expression level was significantly increased in the three curcumin groups(P < 0.05 or P < 0.01),but the contents of TNF-α and IL-6,tumor weight,spleen index and Bcl-2 expression were significantly decreased(P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).Conclusion Curcumin has inhibitory effect on triple-negative breast cancer mouse model through promoting the apoptosis of breast cancer cells.