Anti-Metastatic Effects of Curcumin Analogues in a Mouse Breast Cancer Model

Abstract

Curcumin is a polyphenol compound derived from the roots of Curcuma longa. Although the biological activities of curcumin, such as its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-microbial and anti-cancer effects, have been well applied, its poor chemical stability is a major problem. Pentagamavunon-0 (PGV-0) and Pentagamavunon-1 (PGV-1) were developed as curcumin analogues with higher bioavailability; however, their anti-cancer activity has not yet been assessed. In this study, we evaluated the anti-metastatic activity of PGV-0 and PGV-1 in 4T1 breast cancer cells. Although both curcumin analogues demonstrated similar anti-proliferative effects to curcumin in 4T1 breast cancer cells, they did not inhibit nuclear factor kappa B (NF-ĸB) activity which is a well-defined molecular target of curcumin for its anti-cancer effects. As PGV-0 and PGV-1 exhibited stronger inhibition of the metastatic capacity in a 4T1 breast cancer model than curcumin, PGV-0 and PGV-1 may be promising curcumin analogues to target cancer metastasis having a distinct molecular mechanism from that of curcumin.