Anti-glioblastoma Effects of Nano-micelle Curcumin Plus Erlotinib

Subject Areas : Journal of Animal Biology

Ali Bagherian ¹ (Department of Biology, Damghan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Damghan, Iran)
Hamed Mirzaei ² (Department of Biology, Damghan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Damghan, Iran)
Nahid Masoudian ³ (Department of Biology, Damghan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Damghan, Iran)
Bostan Roudi ⁴ (Department of Biology, Damghan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Damghan, Iran)

Received: 2021-04-28 Accepted : 2021-08-13 Published : 2022-02-20

Keywords: Curcumin, Erlotinib, Nano-micelle Curcumin, Glioblastoma,

Abstract :

Glioblastoma is one of the most dangerous types of brain cancer, with a high rate of therapy resistance. Apoptosis, angiogenesis, autophagy, NF-κB, and Wnt pathways are just a few of the molecular and cellular processes that play a role in Glioblastoma development. The effectiveness of curcumin and Nano-micell curcumin with Erlotinib to suppress Glioblastoma in vitro was investigated in this study.The suppression is carried out by affecting NF-κB and Wnt signaling pathways, angiogenesis inhibition, and autophagy and apoptosis induction. Curcumin and Nano-micelle Curcumin (50 μM) was investigated alone and with Erlotinib (50 μM) in the U87 glioblastoma cells. The expression of Wnt and NF-κB signaling pathways, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and autophagy-related genes and proteins were assessed by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Compared with the control group, all treatments declined the U87 glioblastoma cells viability. Furthermore, Angiogenesis-associated proteins, i.e., Cox-2, VEGF, HIF-1α & bFGF, were remarkably decreased. Each treatment regulated autophagy and apoptosis-associated proteins, i.e., Bax, Beclin 1, caspase 8, Bcl-2, LC3-II, and LC3-I. Total NF κB (p65) and phospho NF. κB (p65) declined by each treatment at protein levels. Expressions of VEGF, cyclin D1, Twist, ZEB, and Wnt pathway-associated genes were also decreased. In general, our findings demonstrated that curcumin and Nano-micelle Curcumin, either alone or in conjunction with Erlotinib, had anti-Glioblastoma effects via modulating a number of processes including apoptosis, autophagy, angiogenesis, Wnt, and NF. κB signaling pathways. 

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