Abstract: Antiproliverative and apoptotic activities of the novel curcumin analogs (CCM series) against human liver carcinoma Bal-7402 and SMMC-7721 cells were investigated by MTT assay. The cell cycle distribution and apoptosis of SMMC-7721 cells induced by CCM-5 and CCM-14 were analyzed using flow cytometry. The expressions of caspase-3 and its activated form p17 in SMMC-7721 cells were further determined by western blot. CCM-5 and CCM-14 exhibited, in a concentration-dependent manner, the stronger antiproliferative role than those of curcumin and the other CCM compounds. Their apoptotic effects on the SMMC-7721 cells were also found to be significantly elevated as compared with the control group (P<0.01). Cell cycle distribution appeared that, as the concentrations of the compounds increased in SMMC-7721 cells, the G0/G1 phase cells decreased while the S phase and the G2/M phase cells, and the SubG1 peak increased. Furthermore, both CCM-5 and CCM-14 could activate caspase-3 expression in the SMMC-7721 cells. Collectively, our data suggest that CCM-5 and CCM-14 can restrain proliferation and promote apoptosis in SMMC-7721 cell, and the molecular mechanism underlying these actions against the cancer cells of the compounds may involve in the activation of caspase-3.

Key words: curcumin analogs, Bel-7402 cells, SMMC-7721 cells, apoptosis, cell cycle, caspase-3