The influence of curcumin on the radiosensitivity of esophageal carcinoma cell lines and its mechanism

Objective: To investigate the influence of curcumin on the radiosensitivity of esophageal carcinoma cell lines (Eca109) and its mechanism. Methods: The colony formation ability of Eca109 cells after X-ray irradiation was analyzed by linear-quadratic formulation. The apoptotic percentage was measured by TUNEL and cell cycle was analyzed by FCM. Results: The D ₀ value of Eca109 cell lines was 97.35 cGy, and that of control group and free-curcumin group was 130.07cGy and 138.37 cGy, respectively (P < 0.05). The apoptotic percentage of Eca109 cell lines exposed to free-medicine and curcumin group was 1.01% and 87.58%, respectively (P < 0.05). In curcumin group the percentage of cells in G₂₊ M phase increased. Conclusion: Curcumin can increase the radiosensitivity of esophageal carcinoma cell lines, which may be associated with blocking cell cycle and inducing apoptosis of Eca109 cells.