Combination Therapy with Nanomicellar-Curcumin and Temozolomide for In Vitro Therapy of Glioblastoma Multiforme via Wnt Signaling Pathways

In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of a combination of temozolomide (TMZ) plus curcumin or nanomicellar-curcumin on the inhibition of GBM growth in vitro, via effects on autophagy, apoptosis, and the Wnt signaling pathway. Two concentrations of curcumin and nanomicellar-curcumin (i.e., 20  μM and 50 μM) alone, and in combination with TMZ (50 μM) were used to induce cytotoxicity in the U87 GBM cell line. Wnt signaling–, autophagy-, and apoptosis-related genes were assessed by quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blots. All treatmen ts (except 20 μM curcumin alone) significantly decreased the viability of U87 cells compared to controls. Curcumin (50 μM), nanomicellar-curcumin alone and in combination with TMZ significantly decreased the invasion and migration of U87 cells. Autophagy-related proteins (Beclin 1, LC3-I, LC3-II ) were significantly increased. Apoptosis-related proteins (Bcl-2 and caspase 8) were also significantly increased, while Bax protein was significantly decreased. The expression levels of Wnt pathway–associated genes (β-catenin, cyclin D1, Twist, and ZEB1) were significantly reduced.
Source: Journal of Molecular Neuroscience - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research