Curcumin Inhibits Human NSCLC A549 Cell Proliferation through Bcl-2/Bax and Cytochrome C

Lung cancer has the highest incidence and mortality rate of all malignancies. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 80% of all lung cancers, the majority of which are at an advanced stage and unresectable when diagnosed (Parkin et al., 2005). Surgery is the most common treatment given with curative intent. Other treatments including radiotherapy, combined chemoradiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy are commonly used as well (NCCC, 2011). However, the side effects of the radiotherapy or chemotherapy promote much work on the new effective medicine in treating NSCLC. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is widely used for cancer treatment in China. Many support its use in treatment for cancer, yet scientific evidence for the effect of TCM needs to be established. Curcumin, the principal polyphenolic cucuminoid, extracted from the turmeric rhizome Curcuma longa Linn, has been vastly reported for its biological activities, including anti-inflammatory (Schaffer et al., 2011), anti-oxidant (Speciale et al., 2011), anti-infection (Na et al., 2011) and anti-cancer (Bansal et al., 2011). Moreover, curcumin can cross the blood-brain barrier and is neuroprotective in neurological disorders (Song et al., 2012). Recently, interest in studying the anti-tumor mechanism of curcumin seems to be mounting for it is effective and safe. Curcumin may be able to modulate multiple cellular pathways involved in carcinogenesis and