Synergistic effect of curcumin and adriamycin on apoptosis in retinal tumor cells: a molecular and cellular analysis

Retinoblastoma (RB) is a highly aggressive eye tumor that directly affects many children due to socioeconomic and medical constraints. Although there are various approaches to the treatment of RB, satisfactory results have not been obtained. Natural products of plant origin have shown therapeutic effects in the treatment of various tumors and are widely used in RB research. Curcumin (Cur) is closely related to the expression and activity of various regulatory proteins. In this study, the anticancer role of combining Cur with a strong chemotherapeutic agent such as adriamycin (Adr) was demonstrated.

The human retinoblastoma cell line WERI-Rb-1 (HTB-169) was used in the study. Cytotoxicity was found to increase in cancer cells treated with IC50 doses of Cur and Adr for 48 hours in combined applications. Differences in the mRNA levels of Caspase-3, P53, and Survivin genes, which are important triggers and regulators of apoptosis in treated cells, were determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR).

Cur and Adr treatment caused a significant increase in both Caspase-3 and P53 mRNA levels, whereas a significant decrease was detected in the mRNA level of Survivin (p < 0.05). In this study, it was shown for the first time that Cur and Adr can exhibit anticancer properties by triggering the apoptotic death pathway in retinoblastoma cell lines.