AUTHOR=Bano Nasreen , Yadav Manisha , Das Bhudev C. 

TITLE=Differential Inhibitory Effects of Curcumin Between HPV+ve and HPV–ve Oral Cancer Stem Cells

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2018

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2018.00412

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2018.00412

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=Abstract 

Aim: To investigate the role of a herbal antioxidative compound curcumin on cell proliferation, orosphere formation and miRNA-21 expression in HPV16+ve/-ve oral cancer stem cells. 
Materials and methods: Oral cancer stem cells were isolated from HPV+ve/HPV-ve oral cancer cell lines by FACS and stemness markers. MTT, spheroid assay and qRT-PCR were employed to examine the effects of curcumin.  
Results: Curcumin treatment in micromolar concentration (0-50 µM) demonstrated significant differential inhibition in CSC proliferation, orosphere formation and miRNA-21 expression in a dose dependent manner, the effect being highly pronounced in HPV positive CSCs.
Conclusion: The strong and dose-dependent inhibitory effects of curcumin on cell proliferation, stemness and miRNA appear to be due to its chemosensitizing and anticancer effects on OSCC-CSCs. 

Keywords: Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs), Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), curcumin, human papillomavirus (HPV), SP cells (side population), micro-RNA (miRNA)