Curcumin Induces Autophagy via Inhibition of Yes-Associated Protein (YAP) in Human Colon Cancer Cells

BACKGROUND: Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers and it is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. YAP can promote cell proliferation and inhibit apoptosis, leading to loss of cell contact inhibition and promoting malignant cell transformation. MATERIAL/METHODS: In this study we analyzed the effects of different curcumin concentrations on the proliferation of colon cancer cells using MTT and colony formation assays. Western blot detection was performed to confirm the YAP, LC3-II, and P62 expression. RESULTS: Curcumin inhibited proliferation and promoted colon cancer cell autophagy. In addition, Western blot results indicated that curcumin suppressed YAP expression in colon cancer cells. To assess the mechanism, we treated the cell lines with curcumin and assessed YAP overexpression and YAP knockdown. The results revealed that curcumin inhibits the proliferation and promotes autophagy of these cell lines. Western blot results showed that curcumin reversed the effect of YAP in colon cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that YAP has great promise for treatment of colon cancer and that it might be a potential diagnostic marker for colon cancer.