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Curcumin nanoemulsion suppresses HPV oncogenes and inhibits cervical cancer progression: in vitro and in vivo study

Mehrnaz Karimi,Masoud Parsania,Negar Motakef Kazemi,Mahnaz Qomi,Mahsa Hadipour Jahromy

Published 2025 in Virology Journal

ABSTRACT

Cervical cancer represents a major global health problem, ranking as the fourth most prevalent cancer among women across the globe. The primary risk factor associated with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer is the human papillomavirus (HPV). Curcumin (Cur), extracted from the root of the Curcuma longa plant, is an anticancer, chemoprotective, and gene/protein regulating agent, which refers to its ability to exert beneficial effects in various aspects of cancer prevention and treatment. This study investigated the tumor inhibitory effect (anti-tumoral effect) of a novel curcumin nanoemulsion (Cur-NE) on HPV+ TC-1 cells in vitro and in vivo. The MTT assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of Cur-NE and Cur on TC-1 cancer cells and MC3T3 normal cells. In vitro assessment was performed using flow cytometry (Annexin/PI) to examine apoptosis and quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis to determine the gene expression levels of E6 and E7 human papillomavirus oncogenes, as well as their associated protein factors, p53 and Rb. In addition, C57BL/6 female mice burdening HPV + TC-1 tumor as cervical cancer models were used to investigate the tumor inhibitory effect of the Cur-NE in vivo compared to free curcumin. In vitro anti-tumoral studies showed that apoptosis and inhibiting cellular proliferation in TC-1 cells were induced effectively by curcumin nanoemulsion. Accordingly, curcumin nanoemulsion reduced mRNA expression levels of E6 and E7 HPV oncogenes and increased p53 and Rb levels in a concentration lower than free curcumin (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the suppression and inhibition of subcutaneous TC-1 tumor growth were more pronounced with the curcumin nanoemulsion compared to free curcumin (P < 0.01). These preeminent preclinical results indicate the potential of this curcumin nanoformulation as an efficient treatment approach for cervical cancer.

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