ArticleMedical oncology (Northwood, London, England)2025
Curcumin suppresses malignant behaviors of ovarian cancer through regulation of tumor-associated macrophages.
Article in Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Targeting tumor-associated macrophages through phytochemicals: a promising strategy for cold tumor therapy.Chinese medicine · 2026Review
- Curcumin inhibits glycolysis via EP300 in oral squamous cell carcinoma.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Latest Advancements of Natural Products in Combating Ovarian Cancer.Journal of Cancer · 2025Review
- Macrophages and neutrophils in ovarian cancer microenvironment.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
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Abstract
Curcumin, a natural polyphenol with established anti-tumor properties, has shown therapeutic potential in ovarian cancer. However, its mechanisms, particularly through modulation of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in the tumor microenvironment, remain unexplored. This study aimed to elucidate how curcumin suppresses ovarian cancer progression by regulating TAM polarization. Primary TAMs isolated from ascites of ovarian cancer patients were co-cultured with SKOV3/OVCAR-3 cancer cells. Curcumin was administered at varying doses (5-80 μM) to assess its direct effects on cancer cell viability and its indirect effects via TAM modulation. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), migration, invasion, and cytokine profiles were analyzed using CCK-8, flow cytometry, RT-PCR, Western blot, and functional assays. High-dose curcumin (40-80 μM) directly inhibited cancer cell proliferation. In contrast, low-dose curcumin (5-20 μM) suppressed TAM-induced malignant behaviors: it reduced M2 polarization (CD206⁺ TAMs decreased by 54.89% to 32.14%, p < 0.01) while increasing M1-associated cytokines (IL-12↑, IL-1β↑) and decreasing M2 markers (IL-10↓, TGF-β↓). TAM-conditioned medium primed with 20 μM curcumin significantly attenuated cancer cell migration (scratch closure: 65% vs. 85% in TAM-only group, p < 0.01), invasion, and EMT (E-cadherin↑, N-cadherin↓, Vimentin↓). Our study uncovered the mechanism of the anti-tumor effect of curcumin in low doses related to the regulation of TAMs, which might provide novel insight into the treatment of ovarian cancer.
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