Home HOME General Physiology and Biophysics 2024 General Physiology and Biophysics Vol.43, No.1, p 73–84, 2024

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Quarterly, 80 pp. per issue
Founded: 1982
ISSN  1338-4325 (online)

Published in English

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General Physiology and Biophysics Vol.43, No.1, p 73–84, 2024

Title: Microbubbles activated by low-frequency ultrasound enhance the anti-tumor effects of curcumin in glioma cells by suppressing the TGF-β1/Smad/VEGF/NCAM signaling pathway
Author: Lixia Mei, Zhen Zhang, Xiaole Song, Xiaodi Zhao
Abstract: This study investigated whether microbubbles activated by low-frequency ultrasound enhanced the anti-tumor effects of curcumin in glioma cells. CCK8 proliferation assay, scratch migration assay, and transwell invasion assay were performed to estimate the proliferation, migration, and invasion rates of the glioma cells in blank control and different treatment groups, respectively. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis was performed to determine the relative expression levels of VEGF and NCAM mRNAs in the various experimental groups. Western blotting was performed to determine the activity status of the TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway in various groups of glioma cells by estimating the expression levels of p-SMAD2/3, VEGF, and NCAM proteins. Combined treatment (Cur-Us-MBs) with microbubbles activated by low-frequency ultrasound and curcumin significantly reduced the in vitro proliferation, migration, and invasiveness of glioma cells compared to the control and other treatment groups. Furthermore, Cur-Us-MBs significantly reduced the expression levels of VEGF and NCAM mRNAs and proteins and p-Smad2/3 proteins , including those cells stimulated with rhTGF-β. These suggested that microbubbles activated by low-frequency ultrasound enhanced the inhibition of TGF-β1/Smad/VEGF/NCAM signaling pathway by curcumin, and enhanced the antitumor effects of curcumin by significantly reducing in vitro proliferation, migration, and invasiveness of glioma cells through this pathway.
Keywords: Low-frequency ultrasound — Microbubbles — Curcumin — TGF-β1 — VEGF — NCAM
Published online: 17-Jan-2024
Year: 2024, Volume: 43, Issue: 1 Page From: 73, Page To: 84
doi:10.4149/gpb_2023024


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