Abstract The present study investigated the effects of
curcumin (Cur) on
growth of
human cervical cancer xenograft in
nude mice and underlying mechanism. The
nude mice modeled with
human cervical cancer HeLa cell xenograft were treated with
normal saline (control), 3 mg/kg
Cisplatin, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg Cur, respectively. The
animal body weight and
growth of
tumor were measured. The expressions of Bax, Bcl-2, p53, p21, HIF-1α,
VEGF and MIF
protein in
tumor tissue were determined. Results showed that,
after treatment for 20 days, the
tumor mass and
tumor volume in 100 and 200 mg/kg Cur group were significantly lower than
control group (P < 0.05). The expressions of Bax, p53 and p21
protein in
tumor tissue in 200 mg/kg Cur group were significantly higher than
control group (P < 0.05), and the expressions of Bcl-2, HIF-1α,
VEGF and MIF
protein in
tumor tissue in 200 mg/kg Cur group were significantly lower than
control group (P < 0.05). Cur can inhibit the
growth of
HeLa cell xenograft in
nude mice. The possible mechanism may be related to its
up-regulation of Bax, p53 and p21
protein expression in
tumor tissue, and
down-regulation of Bcl-2, HIF-1α,
VEGF and MIF
protein expression.