Curcumin Effect on the Expressional Profile of OCT4, Nanog and Nucleostemin Genes in AGS (Adenocarcinoma) Cancer Cell Line

Abstract

Background: Curcumin is the natural yellow pigment in turmeric isolated from the rhizome of the plant Curcuma longa. Curcumin inhibits formation and invasive cancer cells and destroys cancer cells resistant to chemotherapeutic drugs. Objectives: The purpose of this study was the survey of effects of different concentrations of alcoholic curcumin on the octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4) Nanog and Nucleostemin genes in the AGS (human gastric adenocarcinoma) cell line. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study the AGS cell line was cultured in RPMI-1640, supplemented with penicillin/streptomycin (100 U/mL and 100 mg/mL, respectively) and 10% fetal bovine serum, at 37°C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2. In 60 - 70% cell confluence, the cells were treated with curcumin concentration (20, 40, 100) μL and incubated for 24, 48 and 72 hours. Finally, total RNA were extracted and cDNA were synthesized and the expression of mentioned genes was detected. The data were analyzed by excel software. Results: Expression rate of OCT4A, OCT4B, Nanog and Nucleostemin (GLN3) at concentrations less than 20 μg/mL were reduced but OCT4B1 expression showed increased by hours respectively. Conclusions: The results showed that curcumin inhibited cell division; also, this study could be the basis for more extensive studies on the anti-cancer effect of the combined plants.