Effects of curcumin on the role of MMP-2 in endometrial cancer cell proliferation and invasion.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate the effect of curcumin concentrations on the proliferation and invasion of endometrial cancer cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Endometrial cancer cells were cultured with 0, 15, and 30 μmol/l curcumin, and were divided into control group, low concentration group, and high concentration group. The treatment included the silencing and overexpression of MMP-2. The expression of MMP-2 and E-cadherin were detected by Western blot and the expression level changes were recorded after MMP-2 was silenced and overexpressed. Pearson's analysis was used to determine the relationship of curcumin concentration between MMP-2 mRNA. CCK-8 was used to detect the optical density of cancer cells in three groups. Transwell invasion assay was performed to analyze the invasion inhibition rate in the three groups.

RESULTS

Western blot and qPCR results: MMP-2 expression levels were lower and E-cadherin was higher in high concentration group than that in the low concentration group (p<0.01). MMP-2 protein and mRNA decreased after ShRNA and increased after overexpression (p<0.01). Pearson analysis revealed that the curcumin concentration was negatively correlated with the MMP-2 mRNA (r=-0.497, p=0.036). Cell optical density was lower with curcumin and the lowest was in high concentration group (p<0.01). After MMP-2 silencing, optical cell density decreased and this value increased after overexpression (p=0.000). Cell invasion results: Curcumin improves the rate of cell invasion (p<0.01). After silencing of MMP-2, cell invasion inhibition rate increased, while the invasion inhibition rate decreased after overexpression (p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Curcumin can downregulate MMP-2, inhibit the proliferation and invasion of cancer cells.