ABSTRACT
The anti-cancer properties of curcumin, a poliphenol extract from the rhizome of curry, has been confirmed by many investigators. However, low levels of uptake, tissue distribution and rapid metabolism has limited its application as an anti-cancer drug. This study is aimed at increasing curcumin's water solubility due to a biodegradable, neutral and non-toxic micellar nano-carrier called dendrosome. This study intends to evaluate the role of dendrosomal-curcumin [DNC] in bladder cancer cell growth. We performed the MTT assay, flow cytometry and Annexin V-FLUOS [as an apoptosis detection kit] to evaluate cell death. The genetic mechanism of DNC-induced apoptosis was accomplished by a study of the relative expressions of OCT4A, OCT4B1, SOX-2 and Nanog using real-time PCR. DNC-induced cell death complied with a time and dose-dependent paradigm in the 5637 cell line. Cell cycle analysis revealed that the number of cells increased in pre-G1 and gradually decreased in G1 and S phases. This showed the inhibitory property of dendrosomal-curcumin on DNA synthesis. Data from real-time PCR determined that expressions of OCT4A, OCT4B1, SOX-2 and Nanog could be related to 5637 cancer cell growth. Dendrosomal-curcumin significantly suppressed mRNA expression of the above mentioned genes [p<0.01]. The data showed that DNC induced apoptosis by suppression of pluripotency genes in 5637 bladder cancer cells, which confirmed the useful characteristic of nano-drug in bladder cancer therapy.