Interaction of curcumin on cisplatin cytotoxicity in HeLa and HepG2 carcinoma cells

Background and Aims: Our study aimed to evaluate how curcumin affect cisplatin cytotoxicity in human cervical carcinoma (HeLa), human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2), and Chinese hamster lung fibroblast (V79) cells. Methods: The cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT assay. Results: The I[C.sub.50] values of curcumin were 404 [micro]M and 320 [micro]M in HeLa cells; 236 [micro]M and 98.3 [micro]M in HepG2 cells; 877 [micro]M and 119 [micro]M in V79 cells; for 24 h and 48 h, respectively. The I[C.sub.50] values of cisplatin were 22.4 [micro]M and 12.3 [micro]M in HeLa cells; 25.5 [micro]M and 7.7 [micro]M in HepG2 cells; 15.4 [micro]M and 4.9 [micro]M in V79 cells; for 24 h and 48 h, respectively. Curcumin significantly decreased cisplatin cytotoxicity at 500 [micro]M in HeLa cells and above 250 [micro]M and 125 [micro]M in HepG2 cells, for 24 h and 48 h, respectively. In V79 cells, curcumin significantly decreased the I[C.sub.50] values of cisplatin above 500 [micro]M and 125 [micro]M for 24 h and 48 h. Conclusion: The results might contribute to the anticancer effect of the curcumin-cisplatin combination in cervical and he-patocellular carcinoma, but in order to support this result and determine its interactions with antineoplastic drugs, further studies are needed. Keywords: Curcumin, cisplatin, cytotoxicity, HeLa cells, HepG2 cells