Abstract
BACKGROUND: The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) is steadily increasing, and its standard treatment regimen improves the survival rate of tumor patients, but metastatic CRC is the main cause of death in CRC patients. As a low-toxicity natural compound, curcumin, a traditional Chinese medicine, can effectively inhibit the growth of tumor cells by mediating various biological processes. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying curcumin in the treatment of CRC using a combination of network pharmacology analysis and experimental validation. METHODS: The GeneCards database was used to identify potential targets associated with CRC and apoptosis. Target concentrations for curcumin and apoptosis were identified from the Search Tool for Interacting Chemicals (STITCH) and GeneCards databases, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were conducted using the 'clusterprofile' package in R software. Furthermore, to examine the impact of curcumin on the viability and apoptosis of colon cancer cell lines, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays and flow cytometry analyses were performed. Lastly, Western blot analysis was conducted to validate curcumin's effects on proapoptotic protein. RESULTS: A total of 25 essential genes were identified for protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction and enrichment analysis. The results of the CCK-8 assay indicated that curcumin exerted inhibitory effects on in vitro proliferation. Moreover, the results of flow cytometry demonstrated that curcumin triggered apoptosis in SW480 cells and HCT116 cells. Finally, western blot analysis revealed that curcumin down-regulated the expression of MDM2 and COX-2. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests a possible therapeutic approach for CRC by modulating key genes associated with apoptosis, such as MDM2 and COX-2, offering a novel therapeutic strategy for CRC.