Down-Regulation of <i>HOTAIR</i>, <i>SUZ12</i>, and <i>DNMT3A</i> by Curcumin Nanoparticles in Glioblastoma

Background: Despite advances in medical science in the field of cancer, the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM) remains a significant challenge due to its high degree of penetration and the formation of resistant cells. Among the effective herbal compounds in cancer treatment, curcumin is known to be one of the most effective. Curcumin has the potential to modulate critical pathways involved in glioblastoma cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, oxidative stress, and epigenetic processes. Objectives: In this research, we investigated the effects of curcumin nanoparticles (curcumin-NPs) on the expression of DNMT3A, SUZ12, HOTAIR genes, and MecP2 as important epigenetic factors in a glioblastoma cell line. Methods: Curcumin NPs were synthesized using ultrasonic methods, and their toxic effects on the glioblastoma 1321N1 cell line were measured 48 hours after treatment using the MTT assay. RT-qPCR and Western blot were used to measure the expression levels of different epigenetic factors, including DNMT3A, SUZ12, HOTAIR genes, and MecP2 protein. Results: The results showed a 50% inhibitory effect at the IC50 concentration (1.7μM) of curcumin-NPs prepared by ultrasonic method on a glioblastoma cell line. The NPs can reduce the invasion, growth, and migration of cancer cells. Also, a significant decrease was found in the expression levels of SUZ12, HOTAIR, DNMT3A, and MecP2 protein at the IC50 concentration of curcumin-NPs, which is statistically significant (mean ± SD, n = 2, P < 0.05). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that curcumin-NPs can affect the viability and proliferation of the glioblastoma cell line by mediating the level of some essential epigenetic regulators.