PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Curcumin”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 775 records · Page 43Linked to original sources

Determination of curcumin by its quenching effect on the fluorescence of Eu3+-tryptophan complex.

Curcumin (C21H20O6, CU) is a natural antioxidant, which is considered to be a very useful compound in health matters, and is employed in the treatment of cardiovascular and arthritic illnesses. It is found that the fluorescence intensity of Eu3+-tryptophan (Trp) can be greatly quenched by curcumin in the buffer of pH 7.7. Under optimum conditions, the quenched intensity of fluorescence is in proportion to the concentration of curcumin in the range of 1.0x10(-8) to 1.2x10(-4) mol L(-1). The detection limit (S/N=3) is 9.0x10(-10) mol L(-1). The synthetic and actual samples are satisfactorily determined. In addition, the interaction mechanism is also investigated.

Algorithms↗

Prevention of kainic acid-induced changes in nitric oxide level and neuronal cell damage in the rat hippocampus by manganese complexes of curcumin and diacetylcurcumin.

Curcumin is a natural antioxidant isolated from the medicinal plant Curcuma longa Linn. We previously reported that manganese complexes of curcumin (Cp-Mn) and diacetylcurcumin (DiAc-Cp-Mn) exhibited potent superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity in an in vitro assay. Nitric oxide (NO) is a free radial playing a multifaceted role in the brain and its excessive production is known to induce neurotoxicity. Here, we examined the in vivo effect of Cp-Mn and DiAc-Cp-Mn on NO levels enhanced by kainic acid (KA) and L-arginine (L-Arg) in the hippocampi of awake rats using a microdialysis technique. Injection of KA (10 mg/kg, i.p.) and L-Arg (1000 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly increased the concentration of NO and Cp-Mn and DiAc-Cp-Mn (50 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly reversed the effects of KA and L-Arg without affecting the basal NO concentration. Following KA-induced seizures, severe neuronal cell damage was observed in the CA1 and CA3 subfields of hippocampal 3 days after KA administration. Pretreatment with Cp-Mn and DiAc-Cp-Mn (50 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly attenuated KA-induced neuronal cell death in both CA1 and CA3 regions of rat hippocampus compared with vehicle control, and Cp-Mn and DiAc-Cp-Mn showed more potent neuroprotective effect than their parent compounds, curcumin and diacetylcurcumin. These results suggest that Cp-Mn and DiAc-Cp-Mn protect against KA-induced neuronal cell death by suppression of KA-induced increase in NO levels probably by their NO scavenging activity and antioxidative activity. Cp-Mn and DiAc-Cp-Mn have an advantage to be neuroprotective agents in the treatment of acute brain pathologies associated with NO-induced neurotoxicity and oxidative stress-induced neuronal damage such as epilepsy, stroke and traumatic brain injury.

Animals↗

Multiple biological activities of curcumin: a short review.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa rhizomes), commonly used as a spice is well documented for its medicinal properties in Indian and Chinese systems of medicine. It has been widely used for the treatment of several diseases. Epidemiological observations, though inconclusive, are suggestive that turmeric consumption may reduce the risk of some form of cancers and render other protective biological effects in humans. These biological effects of turmeric have been attributed to its constituent curcumin that has been widely studied for its anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, anti-oxidant, wound healing and anti-cancer effects. As a result of extensive epidemiological, clinical, and animal studies several molecular mechanisms are emerging that elucidate multiple biological effects of curcumin. This review summarizes the most interesting in vitro and in vivo studies on the biological effects of curcumin.

Angiogenesis Inhibitors↗

Effects of TNF-alpha and curcumin on the expression of thrombomodulin and endothelial protein C receptor in human endothelial cells.

The objective of this study was to elucidate the effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) on the expression of thrombomodulin (TM) and endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) in human endothelial cells as well as the effect of curcumin, a spice and coloring food compound, as a potential therapeutic agent. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) treated with TNF-alpha (2.0 ng/ml) showed reduced TM mRNA levels by 80%, 97%, 94%, and 97% at 3, 6, 12, and 24 h, respectively (P<0.05), by real-time PCR analysis. Dose-dependent study showed that TM mRNA levels of HUVECs were decreased by 86%, 89%, 91%, and 94% after treatment of TNF-alpha (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 ng/ml) for 6 h, respectively (P<0.05). TM protein levels in HUVECs were significantly reduced by 69% in TNF-alpha-treated cells as compared to controls (P<0.05) by Western blot analysis. Secreted protein and activity of TM of HUVEC cultures were also significantly reduced in TNF-alpha-treated cells. In addition, EPCR mRNA levels of HUVECs were significantly reduced in TNF-alpha-treated group as compared to controls (P<0.05). Furthermore, these effects were observed in other types of endothelial cells from human coronary arteries, lung, and skin. Curcumin effectively blocked these effects of TNF-alpha on downregulation of TM and EPCR. These data demonstrate that TNF-alpha significantly decreases expression of TM and EPCR at both mRNA and protein levels in several human endothelial cells. Curcumin can effectively block TNF-alpha-induced endothelial dysfunction. This study suggests a new molecular mechanism of inflammation-induced thrombosis and a new therapeutic strategy to prevent this clinical problem.

Antigens, CD↗

Inhibition of nuclear factor kappaB by direct modification in whole cells--mechanism of action of nordihydroguaiaritic acid, curcumin and thiol modifiers.

This study was set up to investigate the mechanism of four inhibitors of interleukin-1(IL-1)-alpha and tumor necrosis factor-(TNF)alpha activated nuclear factor kappaB (NFkappaB) in whole cells. The compounds fall into two classes: the first comprised two chain-breaking antioxidants, curcumin (diferulolylmethane) and nordihydroguaiaritic acid. The second class were two thiol-modifying agents, N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) and 2-chloro-1,3dinitrobenzene (CDNB). Both sets of compounds were found to inhibit NFkappaB in tumour necrosis factor-activated Jurkat T lymphoma cells and interleukin 1-activated EL4.NOB-1 thymoma cells as determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assay using a specific NFkappaB DNA probe. In unstimulated cells the compounds were found to modify NFkappaB prior to chemical dissociation with sodium deoxycholate. They also inhibited DNA binding by NFkappaB when added to nuclear extracts from stimulated cells. Both of these effects occurred over a concentration range comparable to that which inhibited cytokine-activated NFkappaB in intact cells. All four agents were found to react directly with the p50 subunit of NFkappaB. However, only the antioxidants, curcumin and nordihydroguaiaritic acid (NDGA) were found to inhibit IkappaBalpha degradation activated by tumour necrosis factor-alpha. These results suggest that NFkappaB itself is susceptible to direct inhibition by a range of pharmacological agents. Furthermore, curcumin and nordihydroguaiaritic acid inhibit NFkappaB by interfering with IkappaBalpha degradation and reacting with p50 in the NFkappaB complex. These findings are likely to be useful in the attempt to develop agents which inhibit NFkappaB-dependent gene transcription.

Animals↗

Inhibition of glutathione S-transferase activity in human melanoma cells by alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl derivatives. Effects of acrolein, cinnamaldehyde, citral, crotonaldehyde, curcumin, ethacrynic acid, and trans-2-hexenal.

The glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity towards 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene in intact human IGR-39 melanoma cells was determined by the quantification by HPLC-analysis of the excreted glutathione (GSH) conjugate (S-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)glutathione; DNPSG). The major GST subunit expressed in these melanoma cells is the pi-class GST subunit P1. Using this system, the effect of exposure for 1 h to a series of alpha, beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds at non-toxic concentrations was studied. Curcumin was the most potent inhibitor (96% inhibition at 25 microM), while 67 and 61% inhibition at 25 microM was observed for ethacrynic acid and trans-2-hexenal, respectively. Moderate inhibition was observed for cinnamaldehyde and crotonaldehyde, while no inhibition was found for citral. The reactive acrolein did not inhibit the DNPSG-excretion at 2.5 microM, the highest non-toxic concentration. Up to about 50% GSH-depletion was found after treatment with crotonaldehyde, curcumin and ethacrynic acid, however the consequences for GST conjugation are presumably small. Reversible inhibition of GST was the major mechanism of inhibition of DNPSG-excretion in melanoma cells, except in the cases of curcumin and ethacrynic acid, which compounds also inactivated GSTP1-1 by covalent modification. This was clear from the fact that depending on the dose between 30 and 80% inhibition was still observed after lysis of the cells, under which conditions reversible inhibition was is absent. Intracellular levels of DNPSG remained relatively high in the case of ethacrynic acid. It is possible that ethacrynic acid also inhibits the transport of DNPSG by inhibition of the multidrug resistance-associated protein gene encoding glutathione conjugate export pump (MRP/GS-X pump) in some way.

Acrolein↗

Capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection of curcumin in Chinese herbal medicine pretreated by solid-phase extraction.

In the present study, curcumin from Chinese herbal medicine turmeric was determined by capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection (CE-AD) pretreated by a self-designed, simple, inexpensive solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridge based on the material of tributyl phosphate resin. An average concentration factor of 9 with the recovery of > 80% was achieved when applied to the analysis of curcumin in extracts of tumeric. Under the optimized CE-AD conditions: a running buffer composed of 15 mM phosphate buffer at a pH 9.7, separation voltage at 16 kV, injection for 6 s at 9 kV and detection at 1.20 V, CE-AD with SPE exhibited low detection limit as 3 x 10(-8) mol/l (S/N = 3), high efficiency of 1.0 x 10(5) N, linear range of 7 x 10(-4) -3 x 10(-6) mol/l (r = 0.9986) for curcumin extracted from light petroleum. The method developed resulted in enhancement of the detection sensitivity and reduction of interference from sample matrix in complicated samples and exhibited the potential application for routine analysis, especially in food, because a relatively complete process of sample treatment and analysis was described.

Curcumin↗

Dermal wound healing processes with curcumin incorporated collagen films.

The wound healing process involves extensive oxidative stress to the system, which generally inhibits tissue remodeling. In the present study, an improvement in the quality of wound healing was attempted by slow delivery of antioxidants like curcumin from collagen, which also acts as a supportive matrix for the regenerative tissue. Curcumin incorporated collagen matrix (CICM) treated groups were compared with control and collagen treated rats. Biochemical parameters and histological analysis revealed that increased wound reduction, enhanced cell proliferation and efficient free radical scavenging in CICM group. The higher shrinkage temperature of CICM films suggests increased hydrothermal stability when compared to normal collagen films. Spectroscopic studies revealed that curcumin was bound to the collagen without affecting its triple helicity. Further we adopted the antioxidant assay using 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile to assess in vitro antioxidant activity of CICM. The antioxidant studies indicated that CICM quenches free radicals more efficiently. This study provides a rationale for the topical application of CICM as a feasible and productive approach to support dermal wound healing.

Animals↗

New and known symmetrical curcumin derivatives inhibit the formation of Fos-Jun-DNA complex.

We previously reported that curcumin, the yellow pigment of turmeric, inhibited the formation of the Fos-Jun-DNA complex. Thus, we have synthesized 12 symmetrical curcuminoids. We used a slightly modified version of Pabon's method to search for an inhibitor more potent than curcumin. Of the synthesized curcuminoids, BJC005, CHC011, and CHC007 exhibited a remarkably high inhibitory activity. Their IC(50) values are 5.4 microM, 0.30 mM, and 0.38 mM, respectively. These IC(50) data indicated that BJC005 is nearly 90 times more effective than curcumin. The BJC005 has shown a more powerful profile than momordin, which, until now, has been reported as a potent Fos-Jun inhibitor. Also BJC005 and CHC007 have not been synthesized before. We report for the first time that the novel BJC005 and CHC007 exhibit highly inhibitory activity against transcription activity.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Induction of apoptosis by garcinol and curcumin through cytochrome c release and activation of caspases in human leukemia HL-60 cells.

Garcinol, a polyisoprenylated benzophenone, was purified from Garcinia indica fruit rind. The effects of garcinol and curcumin on cell viability in human leukemia HL-60 cells were investigated. Garcinol and curcumin displayed strong growth inhibitory effects against human leukemia HL-60 cells, with estimated IC(50) values of 9.42 and 19.5 microM, respectively. Garcinol was able to induce apoptosis in a concentration- and time-dependent manner; however, curcumin was less effective. Treatment with garcinol caused induction of caspase-3/CPP32 activity in a dose- and time-dependent manner, but not caspase-1 activity, and induced the degradation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Pretreatment with caspase-3 inhibitor inhibited garcinol-induced DNA fragmentation. Treatment with garcinol (20 microM) caused a rapid loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential, release of mitochondrial cytochrome c into cytosol, and subsequent induction of procaspase-9 processing. The cleavage of D4-GDI, an abundant hematopoietic cell GDP dissociation inhibitor for the Ras-related Rho family GTPases, occurred simultaneously with the activation of caspase-3 but preceded DNA fragmentation and the morphological changes associated with apoptotic cell death. Of these, Bcl-2, Bad, and Bax were studied. The level of expression of Bcl-2 slightly decreased, while the levels of Bad and Bax were dramatically increased in cells treated with garcinol. These results indicate that garcinol allows caspase-activated deoxyribonuclease to enter the nucleus and degrade chromosomal DNA and induces DFF-45 (DNA fragmentation factor) degradation. It is suggested that garcinol-induced apoptosis is triggered by the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol, procaspase-9 processing, activation of caspase-3 and caspase-2, degradation of PARP, and DNA fragmentation caused by the caspase-activated deoxyribonuclease through the digestion of DFF-45. The induction of apoptosis by garcinol may provide a pivotal mechanism for its cancer chemopreventive action.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Improved HPLC method for the determination of curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin.

Commercially available curcumin, a bright orange-yellow color pigment of turmeric, consists of a mixture of three curcuminoids, namely, curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin. These were isolated by column chromatography and identified by spectroscopic studies. The purity of the curcuminoids was analyzed by an improved HPLC method. HPLC separation was performed on a C(18) column using three solvents, methanol, 2% AcOH, and acetonitrile, with detection at 425 nm. Four different commercially available varieties of turmeric, namely, Salem, Erode, Balasore, and local market samples, were analyzed to detect the percentage of these three curcuminoids. The percentages of curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin as estimated using their calibration curves were found to be 1.06 +/- 0.061 to 5.65 +/- 0.040, 0.83 +/- 0.047 to 3.36 +/- 0.040, and 0.42 +/- 0.036 to 2.16 +/- 0.06, respectively, in four different samples. The total percentages of curcuminoids are 2.34 +/- 0.171 to 9.18 +/- 0.232%.

Acetonitriles↗

Curcumin and dehydrozingerone derivatives: synthesis, radiolabeling, and evaluation for beta-amyloid plaque imaging.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is pathologically characterized by the accumulation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain, and thus, the in vivo imaging of plaques and tangles would be beneficial for the early diagnosis of AD. It has been suggested that 5-hydroxy-1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,4,6-heptatrien-3-one (curcumin) may be responsible for low age-adjusted prevalence of AD in India. In the present study, eight novel derivatives of curcumin and 4-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-buten-2-one (dehydrozingerone) were synthesized and their binding affinities for beta-amyloid (Abeta) aggregates were measured. Of these ligands, fluoropropyl-substituted curcumin (8) showed the highest binding affinity (Ki=0.07 nM), and therefore, 8 was radiolabeled and evaluated as a potential probe for Abeta plaque imaging. Partition coefficient measurement and biodistribution in normal mice demonstrated that [18F]8 has a suitable lipophilicity and reasonable initial brain uptake. Metabolism studies also indicated that [18F]8 is metabolically stable in the brain. These results suggest that [18F]8 is a suitable radioligand for Abeta plaque imaging.

Amyloid↗

Amelioration of renal lesions associated with diabetes by dietary curcumin in streptozotocin diabetic rats.

Curcumin, the coloring principle of the commonly used spice turmeric (Curcuma longa) was fed at 0.5% in the diet to streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats for 8 weeks. Renal damage was assessed by the amount of proteins excreted in the urine and the extent of leaching of renal tubular enzymes: NAG, LDH, AsAT, AlAT, alkaline and acid phosphatases. The integrity of kidney was assessed by measuring the activities of several key enzymes of the renal tissue: glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphatase, and LDH (Carbohydrate metabolism), aldose reductase and sorbitol dehydrogenase (polyol pathway), transaminases, ATPases and membrane PUFA/SFA ratio (membrane integrity). Data on enzymuria, albuminuria, activity of kidney ATPases and fatty acid composition of renal membranes in diabetic condition suggested that dietary curcumin brought about significant beneficial modulation of the progression of renal lesions in diabetes. These findings were also corroborated by histological examination of kidney sections. It is inferred that this beneficial ameliorating influence of dietary curcumin on diabetic nephropathy is possibly mediated through its ability to lower blood cholesterol levels.

Animals↗

Role of curcumin and the inhibition of NF-kappaB in the onset of chemotherapy-induced mucosal barrier injury.

The inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) by, for instance, curcumin is becoming an important new approach in combination with chemotherapy or irradiation for the treatment of a variety of cancers including haematological malignancies. A dose-limiting side effect of anticancer therapy in the gastrointestinal tract is mucosal barrier injury. It is hypothesised that mucosal barrier injury is initiated and amplified by proinflammatory-and NF-kappaB-regulated mediators. Therefore, the effect of NF-kappaB inhibition was studied in the onset of mucosal barrier injury. In response to cytostatic drug treatment (arabinoside cytosine (Ara-C) and methotrexate (MTX)), NF-kappaB was activated in intestinal epithelial cells (IEC-6) resulting in an NF-kappaB-related induction of tumour necrosis factor alpha and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. NF-kappaB inhibition increased the susceptibility of IEC-6 cells to Ara-C as well as MTX-induced cell death when obtained by the addition of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), but not using curcumin. In an animal model for MTX-induced mucosal barrier injury, the induction of NF-kappaB-related cytokines and chemokines was detected upon treatment with MTX. Despite increased susceptibility shown in vitro, the inhibition of NF-kappaB resulted in a partial amelioration of villous atrophy normally seen in the small intestine upon MTX treatment. These results show that the inhibition of NF-kappaB does not increase intestinal side effects of the anticancer treatment, suggesting a safe use of curcumin and CAPE in combination with anticancer treatment.

Animals↗

Curcumin downregulates cell survival mechanisms in human prostate cancer cell lines.

While the role of nuclear transcription factor activator protein-1 (AP-1) in cell proliferation, and of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in the suppression of apoptosis are known, their role in survival of prostate cancer cells is not well understood. We investigated the role of NF-kappaB and AP-1 in the survival of human androgen-independent (DU145) and -dependent (LNCaP) prostate cancer cell lines. Our results show that the faster rate of proliferation of DU145 cells when compared to LNCaP cells correlated with the constitutive expression of activated NF-kappaB and AP-1 in DU-145 cells. The lack of constitutive expression of NF-kappaB and AP-1 in LNCaP cells also correlated with their sensitivity to the antiproliferative effects of tumor necrosis factor (TNF). TNF induced NF-kappaB activation but not AP-1 activation in LNCaP cells. In DU145 cells both c-Fos and c-Jun were expressed and treatment with TNF activated c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), needed for AP-1 activation. In LNCaP cells, however, only low levels of c-Jun was expressed and treatment with TNF minimally activated JNK. Treatment of cells with curcumin, a chemopreventive agent, suppressed both constitutive (DU145) and inducible (LNCaP) NF-kappaB activation, and potentiated TNF-induced apoptosis. Curcumin alone induced apoptosis in both cell types, which correlated with the downregulation of the expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL and the activation of procaspase-3 and procaspase-8. Overall, our results suggest that NF-kappaB and AP-1 may play a role in the survival of prostate cancer cells, and curcumin abrogates their survival mechanisms.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Effects of baicalein, berberine, curcumin and hesperidin on mucin release from airway goblet cells.

Baicalein, berberine, curcumin and hesperidin are the major components derived from Scutellaria baicalensis, Coptis japonica, Curcuma longa and Poncirus trifoliata, respectively. These plants have been used for the treatment of diverse chronic inflammatory diseases including respiratory disease in oriental medicine and their respective major components were reported to have various biological effects including anti-inflammatory activity. In the present study, we investigated whether these four natural products affect mucin release from airway goblet cells and compared the possible activities of these agents with the inhibitory action on mucin release by PLL and the stimulatory action by ATP. Confluent primary hamster tracheal surface epithelial (HTSE) cells were metabolically radiolabeled using 3H-glucosamine for 24 h and chased for 30 min in the presence of varying concentrations of each agent to assess the effects on 3H-mucin release. The results were as follows: (i) baicalein did not affect mucin release significantly; (ii) berberine, curcumin and hesperidin increased mucin release at the highest concentration (10 - 4 M); (iii) PLL inhibited and ATP increased mucin release. We conclude that berberine, curcumin and hesperidin can increase mucin release by directly acting on airway mucin-secreting cells and suggest that these agents be further studied for possible use as mild expectorants during the treatment of chronic airway diseases. Abbreviations. PLL:poly- L-lysine ATP:adenosine triphosphate HTSE:hamster tracheal surface epithelial DMSO:dimethylsulfoxide IL-12:interleukin-12 PBS:phosphate-buffered saline

Animals↗

Nonmutagenicity of curcumin and its antimutagenic action versus chili and capsaicin.

Turmeric, which is one of the commonly used spices in Indian cooking, was tested for mutagenicity using the Ames test. The alcoholic extract of fresh or dried turmeric, its principal components, and pyrolyzed turmeric powder and curcumin were tested for mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium strains with and without metabolic activation. None of these were mutagenic in all the tester strains. Chilies (which are used with turmeric powder) and their principal alkaloid capsaicin were mutagenic in the TA 98 with S9 mixture. We tested curcumin, which is the principal component of turmeric, for its antimutagenic effect. It showed dose-dependent decreases in mutagenicity of chili extract and capsaicin. Also, we compared the antimutagenicity of curcumin with other known antioxidants, including BHA, vitamins E and C, and vegetable oils. These all showed dose-dependent decreases in mutagenicity of chili extract and capsaicin. These studies show that although there are few mutagenic principles in Indian food, there is still quite a large number of antimutagenic principles in the Indian diet that will modulate the activity of environmental mutagens.

Animals↗

Curcumin induces apoptosis in immortalized NIH 3T3 and malignant cancer cell lines.

Curcumin, which is a widely used dietary pigment and spice, has been demonstrated to be an effective inhibitor of tumor promotion in mouse skin carcinogenesis. We report that curcumin induces cell shrinkage, chromatin condensation, and DNA fragmentation, characteristics of apoptosis, in immortalized mouse embryo fibroblast NIH 3T3 erb B2 oncogene-transformed NIH 3T3, mouse sarcoma S180, human colon cancer cell HT-29, human kidney cancer cell 293, and human hepatocellular carcinoma Hep G2 cells, but not in primary culture of mouse embryonic fibroblast C3H 10T1/2, rat embryonic fibroblast, and human foreskin fibroblast cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Many cellular and biochemical effects of curcumin in mouse fibroblast cells have been reported, such as inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) activity induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate treatment, inhibition of tyrosine protein kinase activity, and inhibition of arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism. Treatment of NIH 3T3 cells with the PKC inhibitor staurosporine, the tyrosine kinase inhibitor herbimycin A, and the AA metabolism inhibitor quinacrine induces apoptotic cell death. These results suggest that, in some immortalized and transformed cells, blocking the cellular signal transduction might trigger the induction of apoptosis.

3T3 Cells↗