姜黄素通过ATK/FoxM1信号通路调控胃癌干细胞增殖及凋亡

Curcumin effect on proliferation and apoptosis of gastric cancer stem cells via ATK/FoxM1 signaling pathway

BACKGROUND:Curcumin has crucial inhibitory effects on various cancer cells and cancer stem cells. However, its effect on gastric cancer stem cells and the underlying mechanism of this effect are unclear.OBJECTIVE:To explore the effect of curcumin on gastric cancer stem cells and the underlying mechanism.METHODS:Tumor sphere-forming assay and gastric cancer stem cell markers (EpCAM and CD44) were used to separate gastric cancer stem cells from gastric cancer SGC7901 cell lines. Effects of curcumin on the proliferation and apoptosis of gastric cancer stem cells were determined by MTT and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression levels of FoxM1, p-AKT, and AKT. LY294002, an inhibitor of the PI3K/AKT pathway, was used to determine the regulatory relationship between AKT and FoxM1 signaling pathways. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The EpCAM+/CD44+ gastric cancer stem cells were successfully isolated from SGC7901 cells. MTT assay showed that curcumin inhibited the proliferation of gastric cancer stem cells, while flow cytometry analysis showed that curcumin induced apoptosis in gastric cancer stem cells. In addition, the expression levels of p-AKT and FoxM1 were decreased by curcumin treatment. After being treated by LY294002, the expression levels of p-AKT and FoxM1 were down-regulated markedly. In conclusion, curcumin can inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in gastric cancer stem cells via the ATK/FoxM1 signaling pathway.