Synergistic Effect of Garcinol and Curcumin on Antiproliferative and Apoptotic Activity in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Mansi A Parasramka,Smiti Vaid Gupta

doi:10.1155/2012/709739

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer (PaCa) is a major health concern due to its aggressiveness and early metastasis. Current treatments for PaCa are limited by development of resistance against therapy. As an alternative strategy, we assessed the combinatorial effect of dietary compounds, garcinol and curcumin, on human PaCa cells (BxPC-3 and Panc-1). A significant (P < 0.05) dose-dependent reduction in cell viability and increase in apoptosis were observed in both cell lines as compared to untreated controls. A combination index (CI) value < 1, for a two-way comparison of curcumin and garcinol, suggests synergism. The potency (Dm) of the combination of garcinol and curcumin was 2 to 10 fold that of the individual agents. This indicates that curcumin and garcinol in combination exhibit a high level of synergism, with enhanced bioactivity, thereby reducing the required effective dose required for each individually. This combinatorial strategy may hold promise in future development of therapies against PaCa.

Highlights

Cancer is a major health concern across the globe today with pancreatic cancer (PaCa) being the fifth major cause of deaths due to cancer in the United States
We tested the hypothesis that the bioactive compounds garcinol from Garcinia indica and curcumin derived from Curcuma longa will work in synergism and inhibit the growth of PaCa cells
Our results indicate that the combination of garcinol and curcumin significantly inhibited cell viability (P < 0.05) and caused induction of apoptosis via upregulation of caspase-3 and -9 activity (P < 0.05) in both cell lines

Summary

Research Article

We assessed the combinatorial effect of dietary compounds, garcinol and curcumin, on human PaCa cells (BxPC-3 and Panc-1). The potency (Dm) of the combination of garcinol and curcumin was 2 to 10 fold that of the individual agents. This indicates that curcumin and garcinol in combination exhibit a high level of synergism, with enhanced bioactivity, thereby reducing the required effective dose required for each individually. This combinatorial strategy may hold promise in future development of therapies against PaCa

Introduction

Material and Methods

Results and Discussion

Enrichment factor

Fold induction