Majid Darvish - Pharmaceutical Sciences Research center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Hamidreza Mohammadi - Pharmaceutical Sciences Research center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Mohammad Shokrzadeh - Pharmaceutical Sciences Research center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Ayat Dashti - Pharmaceutical Sciences Research center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

Objective: Curcumin is a natural polyphenolic substance with anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Its therapeutic potential is substantially hindered by the rather low water solubility, rapid metabolism, and low bioavailability, hence the need for suitable carriers. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of polymeric micelles of curcumin on experimental colon cancer model in Rat.Method: Pathogen-free male Sprague–Dawley rats divided into 4 groups. animals from group A, B, C started to receive DMH intraperitoneal injection once a week at a dose of 20 mg/kg body weight in 0.9% normal saline. Group A served as DMH control. B, C were treated with nano-micelle curcumin and 5-FU respectively starting 4 weeks before first carcinogen challenge Group D as control were subjected to a similar protocol but received an only weekly i.p injection of the normal saline vehicle and continued till week 30 of experimentation. At the end of the 4 weeks all animals were killed by cervical dislocation.and their colon removed and investigated for morphological and immunohistochemistry studies of apoptosis which expression of Bcl2, BAX, and Caspase9 have been investigated.Results: Morphological changes in Nano-curcumin groups was significant compared with DMH group but in protein expression of apoptotic factors, although the decrease in Bcl2 expression and increase in BAX and caspase9 occurred in Nano-micelle group, these changes were not significant compared with DMH group(P> 0.05)Conclusion: According to the results of this study, Nano-micelle of curcumin has some preventive effect in an experimental model of colon cancer in vivo but has not induced apoptotic effect completely and more complementary studies are needed.

Nano-micelle curcumin, colon cancer, in vivo study, Dimethyl-hydrazine, apoptosis