Inhibitory effect of platinum (II) complex of curcumin on non-small cell lung cancer via the PI3K-AKT pathway

Purpose: To study the effect of platinum (II) complex of curcumin (PCC) on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using human NSCLC cell line A549.Methods: The anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of PCC against NSCLC were investigated using 3- (4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide double staining, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and western blot assays.Results: First, MTT assay and Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide double staining results revealed that PCC possesses strong anti-cancer potency and high safety, when compared with cisplatin. Western blotting and qRT-PCR results showed that PCC inhibited the viability of NSCLC cells, decreased the expressions of PI3K, VEGF, AKT and Bcl-2, and upregulated the expression of PTEN.Conclusion: These results indicate that PCC promotes apoptosis in A549 cells via PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathways.Keywords: Platinum-curcumin complex, Non-small cell lung cancer, Apoptosis, PI3K-AKT