Frontiers in Oncology (Sep 2018)
Differential Inhibitory Effects of Curcumin Between HPV+ve and HPV–ve Oral Cancer Stem Cells
Abstract
Aim: To investigate the role of a herbal antioxidative compound curcumin on cell proliferation, orosphere formation and miRNA-21 expression in HPV16+ve/–ve oral cancer stem cells.Materials and Methods: Oral cancer stem cells were isolated from HPV+ve/HPV–ve oral cancer cell lines by FACS and stemness markers. MTT, spheroid assay and qRT-PCR were employed to examine the effects of curcumin.Results: Curcumin treatment in micromolar concentration (0–50 μM) demonstrated significant differential inhibition in CSC proliferation, orosphere formation and miRNA-21 expression in a dose dependent manner, the effect being highly pronounced in HPV positive CSCs.Conclusion: The strong and dose-dependent inhibitory effects of curcumin on cell proliferation, stemness and miRNA appear to be due to its chemosensitizing and anticancer effects on OSCC-CSCs.
Keywords