A preliminary study of the effect of curcumin on the expression of p53 protein in a human multiple myeloma cell line

Curcumin is an inexpensive, natural plant ingredient with protease inhibitor effects. The present study aimed to analyze the inhibitory effects of curcumin on the multiple myeloma (MM) RPMI 8226 cell line, and examine the underlying mechanism that promotes the apoptosis of RPMI 8226 cells. A growth curve was constructed in order to observe the relative growth velocity, and MTT was used to analyze the effect of different concentrations of curcumin on inhibiting the proliferation of the RPMI 8226 cells. The mRNA expression of the p53, Bax and MDM2 genes was detected using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The expression of p53 protein in the MM RPMI 8226 cells following treatment with curcumin was detected by western blotting and ELISA. Curcumin inhibited the proliferation of the MM RPMI 8226 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In the MM RPMI 8226 cells treated with curcumin, the expression of the p53 and Bax genes was upregulated, while the expression of the MDM2 gene was downregulated. p53 protein expression was higher in the curcumin experimental group compared with the control group. Subsequent to treatment with curcumin, the growth of the MM RPMI 8226 cell line was inhibited in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. In the MM RPMI 8226 cells treated with curcumin, p53 protein levels were upregulated, which suggested that curcumin may promote the apoptosis of MM cells by upregulating p53 protein expression.