食道癌容易轉移以及產生肺炎等併發症，而手術或是治療上也都有較高副作用以及危險性，所以當務之急需要找尋較安全而有療效的方法；薑黃素（Curcumin）是由薑黃（Curcuma longa Linn）之根莖中所分離出來的主要活性成分，屬於多酚類化合物，研究顯示它會影響多種癌細胞的生長及程式死亡（apoptosis），但它對於食道癌細胞的作用機制仍未被探討，所以在本論文將探討薑黃素是否對人類食道癌細胞的生長、侵犯及移動有所影響。實驗結果發現，以濃度梯度篩選薑黃素對於人體食道癌細胞（CE81T/VGH）的作用效果，分別在10及15 μM會抑制癌細胞的生長以及誘導細胞凋亡，而對正常人類胚胎皮膚細胞Detroit551和肺纖維細胞WI-38並沒有明顯影響；在15 μM薑黃素所引發的細胞凋亡中可以清楚觀察到細胞核濃縮(nuclear condensation)與染色體裂解( DNA fragmentation)等細胞凋亡型態上的變化，同時也伴隨著Bax表現量的上升和Bcl-XL以及Bcl-2表現量的下降；藉由流式細胞儀分析癌細胞的DNA含量發現，經10及15 μM 薑黃素處理後，皆使得CE81T/VGH癌細胞株生長週期停滯在G2/M 期，然而在15 μM薑黃素處理人體食道癌細胞株後觀察sub-G1期的細胞含量在第36小時增加為7.5%；進一步偵測細胞內鈣離子和活性氧化物(ROS)含量，在加藥後0.5小時即出現明顯的提升67%±8.75，而粒線體膜電位(MMP)在加藥後0.5小時下降34.12%±8.75；另外也觀察到10 μM薑黃素能抑制CE81T/VGH的轉移，以及在第48小時其抑制食道癌細胞侵犯能力達80%±1.15；經由以上結果證實薑黃素可以抑制食道癌細胞增生以及誘導細胞凋亡，而極有可能成為治療食道癌的抗癌藥物。
Because of the easily metastasis and some complications such as pneumonia, it is difficult to completely cure the esophagus cancer. So, We have trying to find out the other effective chemotherapy .Curcumin is a naturally occurring polyphenolic phytochemical that is isolated from the rhizome of the medicinal plant Curcuma longa L. Recent data give the evidence that curcumin could inhibit proliferation and induces apoptosis in many of cancer cells. But the induction of apoptosis in human esophagus squamous carcinoma cell (ESCC,CE81T/VGH )are remained to define.
In this experiment, we discussed if curcumin has influences on EPC cells growth, invasion and migration. Above all, we demonstrated that 10 μM curcumin is 10 can suprpress the growth and 15 μM induce apoptosis in EPC cells, but can’t effect in the normal human cells. Curcumin (15 μM) induced apoptosis was clearly verified by the appearance of nuclear condensation and DNA fragmentation. Apoptosis induced by curcumin was accompanied by the up-regulation of Bax and down-regulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL. The further investigation, both of 10 and 15 μM curcumin could arrested the cells at the G2/M phase of the cell cycle by using a flow cytometer. The significant sub-G1 apoptotic cells increased 7.5% at 36 when the dosage of curcumin was 15 μM；Curcumin affect on the production of reactive oxygen species(ROS) and Ca2+ and on the decrease of the level of mitochondria membrane potential (ΔΨm) were also examined by flow cytometry.
Furthermore,curcumin (10 μM) inhibited CE81T/VGH cells migration and invasion. This results indicated that curcumin could inhibits CE81T/VGH cells proliferation and curcumin-induce apoptosis.
