Khar A, Ali A M, Pardhasaradhi B V, Begum Z, Anjum R
Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India.
FEBS Lett. 1999 Feb 19;445(1):165-8. doi: 10.1016/s0014-5793(99)00114-3.
Curcumin, the yellow pigment of turmeric (Curcuma longa), used commonly as a spice, has been shown to possess anticarcinogenic activity. Curcumin inhibited AK-5 tumor growth and induced apoptosis in AK-5 cells. Curcumin induced apoptosis is mediated through the activation of caspase-3, which is specifically inhibited by the tetrapeptide Ac-DEVD-CHO. In addition, curcumin induced tumor cell death is caused through the generation of reactive oxygen intermediates which is inhibited by N-acetyl-L-cysteine. Our studies suggest that the apoptotic process induced by curcumin is the mechanism mediating AK-5 tumor cell death.
