Anti-Cancer Effects of Curcumin and ATRA Investigated By LC-MS/MS Method

Sönmez C., Ergün B., Baltacıoğlu A., Demirbolat G. M., Gök Özatay Ö., Özpınar A.

Uluslararası Proteomik Kongresi // 7. Ulusal Proteomik Kongresi, İstanbul, Türkiye, 18 - 19 Eylül 2025, ss.20-21, (Özet Bildiri)

  • Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Özet Bildiri
  • Basıldığı Şehir: İstanbul
  • Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.20-21
  • Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Aim: This study investigated the anticancer effects of curcumin and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) using LC-MS/MS. Both compounds possess antitumor properties, and their combination exerts synergistic effects on glioblastoma. We evaluated their impact on signaling pathways regulating proliferation, apoptosis, and survival in glioblastoma cells, aiming to reveal potential synergistic effects and contribute to novel therapeutic strategies.

Method: U87 cells were treated with ATRA, curcumin, and their combination for 48 hours. Cell pellets were stored at −80 °C and processed for proteomic analysis. Proteins were extracted, digested by in-solution trypsinization, and analyzed with nano-LC-MS/MS (Q Exactive Orbitrap). Data were processed using MaxQuant and UniProt database search, followed by statistical evaluation with Perseus. Differentially expressed proteins were examined by PANTHER to assess pathways and molecular functions.

Results: Proteomic profiling of U87 cells treated with ATRA, curcumin, and their combination identified 1,457 proteins, of which 71 were significantly differentially expressed. The combination group showed the most distinct changes (44 proteins: 26 downregulated, 18 upregulated), clearly separating from single-agent treatments. These alterations mainly involved ribosomal proteins, cell cycle regulators, and oxidative stress-related proteins. Pathway analysis indicated enrichment of amino acid and vitamin metabolism in the ATRA group, and energy/redox-related pathways in the curcumin group. The combination treatment modulated a broader range of biological processes, including apoptosis, cell cycle, ubiquitin-proteasome, and Wnt signaling pathways, highlighting its stronger regulatory impact at the proteome level.

Conclusion: This study highlights the distinct and overlapping effects of ATRA and curcumin on glioblastoma cells at the proteomic level. While ATRA primarily reprogrammed amino acid metabolism and suppressed oncogenic signaling pathways, curcumin induced both cytotoxic and adaptive responses. Importantly, their combination produced an anti-cancer effect, disrupting tumor-supportive networks more extensively than single treatments. These findings suggest that ATRA and curcumin may serve as a complementary therapeutic strategy for glioblastoma.