Mechanism of curcumin-enhanced radiosensitivity in pancreatic cancer cells PANC-1

Objective: To investigate the combination effect of curcumin and γ-ray irradiation on PANC-1 cells in vitro. Methods: PANC-1 cells were exposed to γ-rays in the presence or absence of curcumin. MTT assay was performed to evaluate cell viability. The expression of P21 was evaluated with RT-PCR and Western blot. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were tested by flow cytometry. Results: Compared with the γ-ray irradiation group, combination treatment of curcumin and irradiation decreased the cell viability (t = 6.72, P < 0.01) and increased the percentage of cells in S-phase (t = 4.78, P < 0.05), apoptosis rate (t = 6.58, P < 0.01), P21 protein and mRNA expression (t = 5.72, 5.63, P < 0.01) in PANC-1 cells. Conclusions: Curcumin increases the radiosensitivity of PANC-1 cells, which may have clinical implication on radiotherapy of pancreatic cancer. (authors)