Anticancer activities of diphenyl difluoroketone, a novel curcumin analog, on KB human oral cancer cells

Abstract

Effects of diphenyl difluoroketone (EF-24) and curcumin on cell growth and apoptosis induction in KB human oral cancer cells were examined. EF-24 and curcumin inhibited the growth of KB cells in a dose-dependent manner, and the potency of EF-24 was 30 times greater than that of curcumin. Treatment with EF-24 or curcumin resulted in nuclear condensation and fragmentation. EF-24 and curcumin promoted the proteolytic cleavage of procaspases-3, -7, and -9. Activities of caspases-3 and -7 were detected in living KB cells treated with EF-24 or curcumin. These results suggest that EF-24 and curcumin inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in KB human oral cancer cells, and have potential properties for development of anti oral cancer drug.