Asian Pacific J Cancer Prev, 13, 289-294
IntroductionOral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a chronic inflammatory disease, and has been defined by WHO as one of the precancerous conditions (International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2005). The main clinical symptoms include the stiffness of oral mucosa, restriction of mouth opening, atrophy of tongue papillae, blisters, and intolerance to hot and spicy food. Malignant transformation rate in OSF is high, reaching 7-13% (Tilakaratne et al., 2006). The disease exhibits characteristic histological features of excessive collagen deposition in the lamina propria, following the epithelium becomes atrophic (Singh et al., 2010).OSF is closely associated with betel quid (BQ) chewing, a habit common in South and Southeast Asia, some parts of Africa, and among immigrants from these regions (Boucher and Mannan, 2002). An imbalance in collagen synthesis and degradation in oral mucosa is generally believed to be the main cause of OSF;The disease is considered a type of collagen metabolism disorder (Rajalalitha and Vali, 2005).Myofibroblasts are typically activated fibroblasts, although they can also be derived from other cell types, including epithelial and endothelial cells via epithelial/ endothelial mesenchymal transition (EMT/EndMT) process, as well as from the circulating fibroblast-like cells
AbstractBackground: Myofibroblasts play an important role in the development of oral submucous fibrosis (OSF). In the current study, we investigate the effect of curcumin on growth and apoptosis of myofibroblasts derived from human oral mucosa. Methods: Myofibroblasts were generated by incubating fibroblasts, obtained from human oral mucosa, with transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). MTT, PI staining, and FACS assays were used to investigate curcumin's effect on proliferation and cell cycle of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. Annexin V/PI binding and FACS assays were used to examine apoptosis of myofibroblasts, Western blotting to determine the levels of Bcl-2 and Bax, and enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay was employed to examine the levels of collagen type I and III in the supernatants of myofibroblasts. Results: Curcumin inhibits proliferation of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts; it also disturbs the cell cycle, induces apoptosis and decreases the generation of collagen type I and III in myofibroblasts, which are more sensitive to its effects than fibroblasts. Curcumin induces apoptosis in myofibroblasts by down-regulating the Bcl-2/ Bax ratio. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate the antifibrotic effect of curcumin in vitro. It may therefore be a candidate for the treatment of OSF.