The antitumor effects of curcumin, a natural biologically active compound extracted from rhizomes of Curcuma longa, have been\r\nstudied in many cancer cell types including human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we investigated the effects of Ca2 on\r\ncurcumin-induced apoptosis in human HCC J5 cells. The abrogation of mitochondrial membrane potential (??m), the increase\r\nof reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and calcium release were demonstrated with flow cytometry as early as 15 minutes\r\nafter curcumin treatment. In addition, an increase level of cytochrome c in the cytoplasm which led to DNA fragmentation was\r\nobserved. To verify the role of Ca2 in curcumin-induced apoptosis, 1,2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N,N-tetraacetic acid\r\n(BAPTA), an intracellular calcium chelator, was applied. Cell viability was increased, but ??m, ROS production, activation of\r\ncaspase 3, and cell death were decreased in J5 cells pretreated with BAPTA for 2 h followed by the treatment of 25 �µM curcumin.\r\nThese results suggest that the curcumin-induced apoptosis in human HCC J5 cells is via mitochondria-dependent pathway and is\r\nclosely related to the level of intracellular accumulation of calcium.
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