The Novel Curcumin Derivative 1g Induces Mitochondrial and ER-Stress-Dependent Apoptosis in Colon Cancer Cells by Induction of ROS Production

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in cellular metabolism. Many chemotherapeutic drugs are known to promote apoptosis through the production of ROS. In the present study, the novel curcumin derivative, 1g, was found to inhibit tumor growth in colon cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Bioinformatics was used to analyze the differentially expressed mRNAs. The mechanism of this effect was a change in mitochondrial membrane potential caused by 1g that increased its pro-apoptotic activity. In addition, 1g produced ROS, induced G1 checkpoint blockade, and enhanced endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress in colon cancer cells. Conversely, pretreatment with the ROS scavenging agent N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) inhibited the mitochondrial dysfunction caused by 1g and reversed ER-stress, cell cycle stagnation, and apoptosis. Additionally, pretreatment with the p-PERK inhibitor GSK2606414 significantly reduced ER-stress and reversed the apoptosis induced by colon cancer cells. In summary, the production of ROS plays an important role in the destruction of colon cancer cells by 1g and demonstrates that targeted strategies based on ROS represent a promising approach to inhibit colon cancer proliferation. These findings reveal that the novel curcumin derivative 1g represents a potential candidate therapeutics for the treatment of colon cancer cells, via apoptosis caused by mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum stress.