Effects of Curcumin on Proliferation and Apoptosis of HaCaT Cells

Objective To investigate the effects and possible mechanism of curcumin on proliferation and apoptosis of HaCaT cells. Methods The inverted microscope was used to observe morphology of HaCaT cells co-cultured with different concentrations of curcumin;the MTT assay was taken to check cytotoxic effect of curcumin on HaCaT cells;the flow-cytometric analysis was carried out to test extent of apoptosis;Western Blot was applied to examine Bcl-2 and Bax protein expression. Results The morphology of cells treated with curcumin changed in a dose-dependent manner and part of cells fell off from the vial.No significant difference in MTT assay was showed between group of curcumin at 0.1 μmol·L-1 and the control(P0.05),but it was shown for the group of curcumin over 0.1 μmol·L-1;Flow cytometry results showed that the apoptosis of HaCaT cells was dose-dependently raised by curcumin;the expression of Bax was elevated and Bcl-2 was dropped. Conclusion Curcumin inhibits HaCaT cells proliferation and elicits their apoptosis,the mechanism of which may be related to the regulation of Bcl-2 and Bax expression.