CPB 697 RESEARCH SEMINAR
Krystal Madden, BS
Graduate Student in Cancer Biology
Department of Comparative Pathobiology
“Effect Of Curcumin On HeLa
Cervical Cancer Cell Line”
Thursday, April 26, 2007
VPTH 112
3:30 pm
Abstract:
Cervical cancer remains a major cancer threat both nationally and internationally. Nearly a half million world wide are diagnosed with cancer of the cervix each year. Of these, a high percentage of cases will result in fatality. The primary risk factor for this cancer is contraction of one of the most widely spread sexually transmitted diseases, human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV has a cancerous effect on the cell cycle. In order to live and reproduce, the virus induces synthesis of DNA and moves them to the activated G1 phase of the cell cycle. By disrupting regulatory and tumor suppressor proteins, HPV oncogenes cause the cell to undergo uncontrolled cellular proliferation and malignancy. Curcumin, the major yellow pigment of turmeric obtained from the curcuma longa linn plant, has been demonstrated as an effective anti-inflammatory and chemo-preventive substance. We believe that treatment with this substance will inhibit growth of cervical cancer cells. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of curcumin on the growth of HeLa cervical cancer cells. Following cell culture and protein extraction, 2-dimensional electrophoresis was used to separate proteins based on isoelectric point then molecular weight. Gels were stained and analyzed using PDQuest software. Significant spots were extracted from gels, trypsin digested, and identified using MALDI-TOF-TOF and MASCOT database searching.