Curcumin effectively inhibits oncogenic NF-κB signaling and restrains stemness features in liver cancer

Background & Aims The cancer stem cells (CSCs) have important therapeutic implications for multi-resistant cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Among the key pathways frequently activated in liver CSCs is NF-κB signaling. Methods We evaluated the CSCs-depleting potential of NF-κB inhibition in liver cancer achieved by the IKK inhibitor curcumin, RNAi and specific peptide SN50. The effects on CSCs were assessed by analysis of side population (SP), sphere formation and tumorigenicity. Molecular changes were determined by RT-qPCR, global gene expression microarray, EMSA, and Western blotting. Results HCC cell lines exposed to curcumin exhibited differential responses to curcumin a…