Abstract
Curcumin gives turmeric, a spice derived from Curcuma longa, its yellow color. Previous studies have reported that curcumin inhibits the proliferation of multiple cancer cell types, including ovarian, pulmonary, brain, and breast cancer through various pro-apoptotic mechanisms. In advanced ovarian cancer, focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a tyrosine kinase, is overexpressed and contributes to cancer aggression and resistance. 1,2,4,5-benzene tetraamine tetrahydrochloride (Y15) is an inhibitor of FAK and combining it with curcumin shows promise in reducing the FAK activity in ovarian cancer. Therefore, in the current study, the cytotoxic effect of Y15 and curcumin in combination and alone on the platinum-resistant OVCAR3 cancer cell line were investigated. The cells were treated with either Y15 or curcumin at increasing concentrations to determine the IC50 values; those values were then used to treat new cells with Y15, curcumin, and a combination of the Y15 and curcumin. Expression levels of phosphorylated FAK, p21, and p53 were measured through completing western blots. The combination of Y15 and curcumin on the OVCAR3 cells show a decrease of phosphorylated FAK expression and an increase in p21 and p53 expression. Furthermore, DNA fragmentation assay was completed to determine if the treated cells were undergoing apoptosis. The treatment group results showed fragmented DNA while the control group cells did not. Since DNA fragmentation assay confirmed apoptosis of the cells, further experiments are necessary to explore the mechanism of the treatments.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Appu Rathinavelu, Dr. Robert Smith
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-8-2016 1:00 PM
End Date
4-8-2016 5:30 PM
The Effect of Y15 and Curcumin on the Ovarian Cancer Cell Line OVCAR3
Alvin Sherman Library
Curcumin gives turmeric, a spice derived from Curcuma longa, its yellow color. Previous studies have reported that curcumin inhibits the proliferation of multiple cancer cell types, including ovarian, pulmonary, brain, and breast cancer through various pro-apoptotic mechanisms. In advanced ovarian cancer, focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a tyrosine kinase, is overexpressed and contributes to cancer aggression and resistance. 1,2,4,5-benzene tetraamine tetrahydrochloride (Y15) is an inhibitor of FAK and combining it with curcumin shows promise in reducing the FAK activity in ovarian cancer. Therefore, in the current study, the cytotoxic effect of Y15 and curcumin in combination and alone on the platinum-resistant OVCAR3 cancer cell line were investigated. The cells were treated with either Y15 or curcumin at increasing concentrations to determine the IC50 values; those values were then used to treat new cells with Y15, curcumin, and a combination of the Y15 and curcumin. Expression levels of phosphorylated FAK, p21, and p53 were measured through completing western blots. The combination of Y15 and curcumin on the OVCAR3 cells show a decrease of phosphorylated FAK expression and an increase in p21 and p53 expression. Furthermore, DNA fragmentation assay was completed to determine if the treated cells were undergoing apoptosis. The treatment group results showed fragmented DNA while the control group cells did not. Since DNA fragmentation assay confirmed apoptosis of the cells, further experiments are necessary to explore the mechanism of the treatments.
