Effect of curcumin on NF-?B P105/50 expression on triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and its possible mechanism of action

Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-?B) p105/50 has been shown to play a significant role in the pathology of cancer. Overexpression of NF-?B p50 contributes to cell migration and metastasis of breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive type of breast cancer with poor prognosis. Moreover, TNBC is often resistant to cytotoxic chemotherapy. One of the characteristics of TNBC is its activation of NF-?B signaling. Therefore, inhibition of NF-?B signaling block the metastasis of TNBC. The aim of this study is evaluating the effect of curcumin on NF-?B p105 mRNA expression in the TNBC cell line and in silico study to explicate the possible mechanism of action of curcumin against NF-?B precursor protein p105. The NF-?B mRNA expression isolated from curcumin-treated 4T1 cells was evaluated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Molecular docking simulation was carried out by using the Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) 2015 software package. The NF-?B p105 mRNA expression in 4T1 breast cancer cells was significantly decreased by curcumin treatment compared with control. In addition, in silico study shows that the aromatic ring within curcumin interacts withthe backbone of Ile¹⁴² residue by hydrogen bonding with the binding energy of -13,7709 Kcal/mol. As a result, curcumin effectively suppresses NF-?B p105/50 gene expression, a marker of metastatic, inhibit NF-?B. Further research is going on to prove its potential as a therapeutic agent for TNBC. © 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.