IN VITRO INSIGHT INTO THE POTENTIAL OF CURCUMIN TO ENHANCE THE SENSITIVITY OF A375 HUMAN MELANOMA CELLS TO CISPLATIN
RALUCA-ANDREEA JUPÂNEANȚ 1,2,#, ALINA ANTON 3,4,#, MARINELA BOJINCĂ 1*, DIANA HAJ ALI 1,3,4, IASMINA-ALEXANDRA PREDESCU 1,3,4, ANDRA TIBERIA PĂCURAR 1,3,4, DALIBORCA VLAD 2, VICTOR DUMITRAȘCU 2, ANDRADA IFTODE 3,⁴
¹ Doctoral School, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041, Timișoara,
Romania
2 Biochemistry and Pharmacology Department, Discipline of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, “Victor Babeș” University
of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041 Timișoara, Romania
3 Research Centre for Pharmaco-Toxicological Evaluations, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2 Eftimie
Murgu Square, 300041, Timișoara, Romania
4 Department of Toxicology, Drug Industry, Management and Legislation, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Victor Babeș” University
of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041, Timișoara, Romania
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Melanoma is one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of skin cancer, and despite recent therapeutic advances, treatment efficacy is often limited by drug resistance and unsatisfactory safety profiles. Therefore, increasing attention has been directed toward alternative approaches to overcome these limitations, such as the use of natural compounds, either alone or in combi- nation with conventional chemotherapeutic agents. In the present study, curcumin (CUR), a polyphenolic compound with promising anticancer properties, was combined with cisplatin (CIS), a widely used chemotherapeutic agent, to evaluate their in vitro effects on the A375 melanoma cell line. The cytotoxicity assessment was based on the MTT method, followed by investigations of the impact on mitochondrial function using the JC-1 assay and MitoTracker staining. Additionally, the impact on nuclei, actin filaments, and tubulin was analyzed using immunofluorescence techniques, as well as the proapoptotic and necrotic potential of the tested compounds. The results showed a predominantly additive effect, with synergy emerging at the highest tested concentration relative to the individual treatments.
