Synergistic effect of curcumin and adriamycin on apoptosis in retinal tumor cells: a molecular and cellular analysis.

Introduction: Retinoblastoma (RB) is a highly aggressive eye tumor and directly affects many children due to socioeconomic and medical constraints. Although there are various approaches to the treatment of RB, satisfactory results cannot be obtained. Natural products of plant origin have shown definite therapeutic effects in the treatment of various tumors and are widely used in the study of RB. Curcumin (Cur) is closely related to the expression and activity of various regulatory proteins. In this study, the anticancer roles of the combination of curcumin with a strong chemotherapy agent such as adryamycin (Adr) were demonstrated.

Materials and methods: The human retinoblastoma cell line WERI-Rb-1 (HTB-169) was used in the study. It was determined that cytotoxicity increased in cancer cells treated with IC50 doses of Cur and Adr for 48 hours in combined applications. Differences in mRNA levels of Caspase-3, P53 and Survivin genes, which are important triggers and regulators of apoptosis in treated cells, were determined by quantitative simultaneous PCR (qRT-PCR).

Results: While it was determined that Cur and Adr application caused a significant increase in both Caspase-3 and P53 mRNA levels, a significant decrease was detected in the mRNA level of Survivin (p < 0.05). In this study, it was shown for the first time that Cur and Adr can exhibit anti-cancer properties by triggering the apoptosis death pathway in retinoblastoma cell lines.