Enhanced anticancer efficacy of aluminum-curcumin complex compared to curcumin in colorectal cancer cells

The evaluation of anti cancer treatments involves various methods, one of which is the use of biomarkers for therapeutic strategy. This study aimed to compare the anticancer effects of Aluminum curcumin (ACC) with curcumin (CC) in human CRC cells. In this study, the cells were classified into four groups: Group A as control cells, Group B included untreated CRC cells, and Groups C and D comprised cancer cells treated with CC and ACC, respectively. After determining the IC₅₀ values for the drugs using the MTT assay, gene expression was analyzed through RT-PCR. The results of the study showed in group D, there was a more significant decrease in the expression of anti-apoptotic genes, including telomerase (0.67 ± 0.438), Bcl-2 (0.34 ± 0.077), and miRNA-21 (0.51 ± 0.056), compared to group C, where the expression levels were higher for the same genes: telomerase (1.5 ± 0.134), Bcl-2 (1.31 ± 0.014), and miRNA-21 (1.32 ± 0.085). Additionally, group D exhibited a more significant increase in the expression of pro-apoptotic genes, including BAX (3.15 ± 0.813), miRNA-122 (2.61 ± 0.056), and FASLG (1.89 ± 0.014), compared to group C, where the gene expression levels were lower: BAX (0.86 ± 0.106), miRNA-122 (1.01 ± 0.276), and FASLG (0.98 ± 0.099). Significant differences were observed between the majority of groups (P < 0.05). Furthermore, a higher number of apoptotic regions were observed in group D compared to group C. ACC as a new compound demonstrates enhanced anti-cancer potential compared to curcumin alone, due to the aluminum component's ability to stimulate the immune system. This synergy offers a promising therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment, with greater efficacy in targeting and eliminating cancer cells.