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Updated: Jan 28, 2026

Production and Detection of Reactive Oxygen Species ROS in Cancers
Published on: November 21, 2011
Curcumin exerts cytotoxicity dependent on reactive oxygen species accumulation in non-small-cell lung cancer cells
Cuijuan Wang1, Xingguo Song2, Ming Shang2
1Key Laboratory of Public Health, Shandong Academy of Occupational Health & Occupational Medicine, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, PR China.
Aim:
Curcumin induces cytotoxic cell death in several human cancer cells. Here, we have investigated the effects of curcumin on non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with an aim to identify underlying mechanisms of its cytotoxic effect.
Materials & Methods:
The effects of various concentrations of curcumin on the NSCLC cell lines A549 and SPC-A1 were evaluated by MTT assay, colony-forming assay and flow cytometry. Additionally, protein expression associated with different signaling pathways was assessed using western blotting.
Results:
Curcumin exhibited cytotoxicity against NSCLC, evident from the inhibition of cell proliferation, G2/M arrest, DNA damage, endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial apoptosis. The anticancer effect was related to reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and could be reversed by ROS scavengers, catalase and N-acetyl-l-cysteine. Curcumin decreased mitochondrial transmembrane potential and induced ROS production, thereby activating the DNA damage/repair pathway and mitochondrial apoptosis.
Conclusion:
These results indicate that curcumin could be an effective therapeutic candidate for NSCLC.
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