Curcumin inhibits invasion and metastasis of human hepatoma cells through Bclaf1-mediated Wnt/β-catenin signalling

Abstract

ABSTRACT Curcumin, a kind of natural compound extracted from the rhizome of Zingiberaceae such as turmeric, has many pharmacological effects such as anti-cancer effects. This study investigated the effect of curcumin on the invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines HepG2 and SK-Hep-1 through the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway and the regulatory mechanism of Bcl-2-associated transcription factor 1 (Bclaf1). Curcumin significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of HepG2 and SK-Hep-1 cells and inhibited the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway and reduced Bclaf1 expression in human hepatoma cells. In nude mice, intraperitoneal injection of curcumin significantly inhibited the growth of subcutaneously transplanted tumours and reduced lung metastasis of the tumour cells, downregulated the expression of Bclaf1, and inhibited the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. This study suggests that curcumin is a novel candidate drug to prevent cancer metastasis and that Bclaf1 is a new gene target related to the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma.