Dual action on hydrogen peroxide induced oxidative vascular endothelial cell damage by curcumin

AIM: To observe the effect and mechanisms of curcumin to hydrogen peroxide induced oxidative vascular endothelial cells ECV304 damage. METHODS: Estimate cell survival rates of curcumin to H_2O_2 induced oxidative ECV304 damage by trypan blue staining. The observed the change of cell cycle and cell apoptosis rates by FACS. Detect the expression of NO, MDA contents and SOD, GR activity by test kits. RESULTS: When added simultaneously with 500 μmol·L -1 curcumin (0-100 μmol·L -1 ) for 5 h effectively protected cells form oxidative damage. However, when the cells were pretreated with curcumin (25-100 μmol·L -1 ) for 1h before H_2O_2 exposure for 4 h, curcumin was unable to inhibit H_2O_2-induced cell damage. Instead; when pretreated with H_2O_2 for 4h and then added curcumin (25-100 μmol·L -1 ), cell survival rate also increased. It was no obviously change of cell apoptosis rates by curcumin to H_2O_2-induced cell damage, but curcumin was found to induce S-phase cell cycle arrest in curcumin together with H_2O_2 group and post-treatment with curcumin group, and adversely in pretreatment with curcumin group. CONCLUSION: The curcumin has dual action to hydrogen peroxide induced oxidative vascular endothelial cells ECV304 damage, cytoprotective and cytotoxic effects, which is correlated different chronologicaol order treated with curcumin.