OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of curcumin on the invasion and migration of human glioma cells and explore the molecular mechanisms. METHODS: MTT assay was used for screening the optimal curcumin concentrations. The effects of curcumin on the invasion and metastasis of human glioma cell lines U251 and LN229 were tested using Transwell assay, Boyden assay and wound-healing assays. The expression of the related proteins and their interactions were determined using Western blotting and coimmunoprecipitation assay. RESULTS: Curcumin at the concentration of 20 μmol/L for 48 h was used as the optimal condition for subsequent cell treatment. In the two glioma cell lines, curcumin significantly suppressed the invasion and migration of the cells ( < 0.05) and lowered the expressions of hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF), Ncadherin, vimentin, Snail and Slug, but increased the expression of E-cadherin. Interference of HDGF in curcumin-treated glioma cells synergistically inhibited the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signals, while overexpression of HDGF significantly reversed the inhibitory effect of curcumin on EMT; curcumin treatment could significantly reduce the binding of HDGF to β-catenin. CONCLUSIONS Curcumin suppresses EMT signal by reducing HDGF/β-catenin complex and thereby lowers the migration and invasion abilities of human glioma cells .
Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; Curcumin ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Glioma ; Humans ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; beta Catenin