Gemini curcumin suppresses ovarian cancer OVCAR-۳ cells proliferation via induction of apoptosis

Background and Aim: Ovarian cancer, the most lethal gynecological malignancy, is usually diagnosed in advanced stages, which causes poor prognosis with routine therapies. Curcumin has been shown highly cytotoxic towards many different types of cancers. However, its poor bioavailability limits its clinical application. Gemini Curcumin (Gemini-Cur) has been developed to remarkably improve the cellular stability and therapeutic effect of curcumin. We aimed to unravel the inhibitory effect of Gemini-Cur in ovarian OVCAR-۳ cancer cell line.Methods: The anticancer effect of Gemini-Cur nanoparticles was studied by using uptake kinetics, cellular viability and apoptotic assays. Furthermore, the expression ratio of BAX/Bcl-۲ was evaluated by employing real-time PCR and western blotting.Results: Our data showed that gemini surfactant nanoparticles escalate the cellular uptake of curcumin compared to free curcumin. Regarding the growth inhibitory effect of nano-curcumin, the results demonstrated that Gemini-Cur suppresses ovarian cancer cells through induction of apoptosis, which was also confirmed by increased expression ratio of Bax/Bcl-۲.Conclusion: In conclusion, our data illustrate that Gemini-Cur nanoparticles have a great potential to be considered as therapeutic agent against ovary cancer.

Keywords:

Curcumin , Gemini-Cur , Ovarian cancer , Apoptosis