Investigation of the effects of curcumin on akt, fOXO3a and bim pathway in human glioblastoma cell lines

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary intracranial tumor with the worst prognosis among brain cancers, which is accepted as grade 4 by the World Health Organization (WHO). Curcumin, derived from the turmeric plant, is a biological medicinal substance with the most identified anticancer potential and still being researched. The FOXO transcription gene family regulates important cellular processes such as apoptosis, cell cycle progression, oxidative stress resistance, and drug resistance. In this study, by applying curcumin to U87-MG and T98-G cell lines, we aimed to show the state of the molecules in AKT, FOXO3a and Bim pathway, which play a role in tumorigenesis, by immunocytochemical staining, colony formation assay and qRT-PCR genetic analysis. Colony formation assay was first applied to U87-MG and T98-G cell lines. In this experiment, it was aimed to examine the effect of curcumin dose determined by MTT on colony formation in cell lines. After curcumin was applied, microscope images of cell lines were evaluated in Image J software. Then, AKT, FOXO3a and Bim proteins in U87-MG and T98-G control and experimental groups were stained by immunocytochemical staining method. After staining, microscope images were loaded into Image J program to compare optical density measurements. The qRT-PCR method was used to compare the mRNA levels of AKT, FOXO3a and Bim in cells in the control and experimental groups. When the colony formation percentages in the U87-MG and T98-G control and experimental groups were compared, there was a decrease in the percentage of colony formation in the experimental group compared to the control group. In the immunocytochemical staining results, decrease in AKT and increase in FOXO3a and Bim were found statistically significant in the experimental groups compared to the control group. According to the qRT-PCR results, the decrease in AKT mRNA in the curcumin-administered experimental group; The increase in mRNA levels of FOXO3a and Bim was found to be statistically significant. As a result, it was determined that curcumin triggered apoptosis in U87-MG and T98-G glioblastoma cell lines via AKT/FOXO3a/Bim pathway.