comparative in silicoin vitro study of synergistic effect of curcuminoids as inhibitors of breast liver cancer cells

1. Abstract In the present work curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin have been synthesized and their inhibitory effects were studied on three different human breast cancer cell lines ZR-75, MDA-MB-231, HepG2 (Hepatocellular Carcinoma) and one normal cell line MCF10A. Their effects were compared with the cumulative effect of natural curcumin (Curcuminoid Mixture) through in vitro and in silico study . For in vitro screening, cytotoxicity analysis of curcuminoids was done in breast cancer cell lines, while changes in cellular and nuclear morphology were examined using phase contrast microscopy and Hoechst staining. Results obtained were further validated through in silico study, via examining role of seven major key regulatory proteins of breast cancer as targets of curcumin and curcuminoids. The individual curcuminoids and natural curcumin appear to act via different pathways causing apoptosis and necrosis. Based on the present study, it has been observed that synthetic curcumin, curcuminoids and their naturally occurring mixture significantly affect the molecular pathways of apoptosis and necrosis. 2. Keywords: Apoptosis; Breast cancer; Curcuminoids; FACS; Liver Cancer; Necrosis