Resveratrol-Curcumin Hybrid Selectively Induces Chromosomal Abnormalities and Apoptosis in Colon Adenocarcinoma Cells

Colorectal cancer (CRC) therapy frequently relies on chemotherapeutic agents with high cytotoxicity, low selectivity, and suboptimal efficacy. Thus, the search for alternative therapeutic strategies for CRC continues. In the present work, the antitumor potential of a hybrid compound, which contains fragments derived from resveratrol and curcumin, was evaluated. These natural compounds are known by their antioxidant, chemopreventive, and chemotherapeutic properties. Different methodologic approaches were used to investigate cytotoxic, genotoxic, antiproliferative, and antioxidant effects of a hybrid compound, named PQM-162, on HCT-8 colorectal cancer cells. The results showed that PQM-162 displays radical scavenging capacity as demonstrated by DPPH assay. Furthermore, this substance reduced cell viability and inhibited cell cycle progression at G2/M in HCT-8 cells. Antiproliferative activity of PQM-162 was associated with its ability to modulate the expression of critical regulators of G2/M transition and mitosis progression such as PLK1, AURKB, and CDKN1A. Taken together, our data indicate that PQM-162 is a promising antitumor agent due to its disruption of the redox balance in cancer cells and its modulation of the expression of regulators of the cell cycle and mitotic apparatus.