Suppression of PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway and Antioxidant System and Reversal of Cancer Cells Resistance to Cisplatin under the Effect of Curcumin

Bull Exp Biol Med. 2022 Jul;173(3):371-375. doi: 10.1007/s10517-022-05551-x. Epub 2022 Jul 20.

Abstract

The effect of curcumin on the resistance of SKOV-3 human ovarian adenocarcinoma cells to cisplatin was studied. It was found that curcumin induced "reversal" of cancer cells resistance, which was associated with suppression of the expression of genes encoding the key antioxidant enzymes (SOD1, SOD2, CAT, GPX1, and HO-1) and transcription factor Nrf2 and a decrease in the expression of genes encoding kinases of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. The obtained results confirm the role of redox-dependent regulation in the "reversal" of cancer cells resistance to cisplatin.

Keywords: PI3K/AkT/mTOR signaling pathway; cisplatin; gene expression; tumor cells drug resistance.

MeSH terms

  • Antioxidants / pharmacology
  • Apoptosis
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cisplatin / pharmacology
  • Curcumin* / pharmacology
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / genetics
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Ovarian Neoplasms*
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / genetics
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / genetics
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism

Substances

  • Antioxidants
  • MTOR protein, human
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Curcumin
  • Cisplatin