Anti-proliferative and Cytotoxic Effects of Curcumin in MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells

Curcumin is the effective constituents of Curcuma longa, which inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Prevention of breast cancer, as one of the common cancer type with serious health problem, is an area of interest in breast cancer research. In this study, we have evaluated the effects of curcumin on the cell proliferation of human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) compared to non-cancer line (MCF-10A). The cell lines were subjected to increasing doses of curcumin ranging from 0 to 30 μg/ml. Cell viability was quantified by MTT assay. In vitro clonogenic survival assay was performed on MCF-7 cells. Curcumin inhibited the growth of malignant cells in a time and dose-dependent manner. Calculated IC50 value for MCF-7 cells in 48 h was 12 μg/ml. Overall, 45%–70% decrease in colony formation was observed in MCF-7 cells treated by 30-60 μg/ml curcumin respectively. The result of our study confirms the potential cytotoxic effects of curcumin in breast cancer cell line. It could be considered as a potential chemopreventive agent in breast cancer treatment.