The effects of curcumin on the invasiveness of prostate cancer in vitro and in vivo

Curcumin has become a focus of interest with regard to its antitumor effects in prostate cancer; however, the effects of this agent on invasion and metastasis remain less well understood. Matrix metalloproteinases ( MMPs) are important prerequisite for tumor invasion and metastasis. In this study, we evaluated the effects of curcumin on prostate cancer cells (DU-145) invasion in both in vitro and in vivo. We utilized zymography and ELISA in order to determine the MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity. Matrigel invasion assay was performed to assess cellular invasion. We developed a xenograft model to examine tumorigenicity. Curcumin treatment resulted not only in a significant reduction in the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9, but also effected the inhibition of invasive ability in vitro. Curcumin was shown to induce a marked reduction of tumor volume, MMP-2, and MMP-9 activity in the tumor-bearing site. The metastatic nodules in vivo were significantly fewer in the curcumin-treated group than untreated group. Curcumin appears to constitute a potential agent for the prevention of cancer progression, or at least of the initial phase of metastasis, in prostate cancer.