Highlighting curcumin-induced crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosis: A biochemical approach coupling impedancemetry, imaging, and flow cytometry

Curcumin, a major active component of turmeric (Curcuma longa, L.), is known to have various effects on both healthy and cancerous tissues. In vitro studies suggest that curcumin inhibits cancer cell growth by activating apoptosis, but the mechanism underlying the anticancer effects of curcumin is still unclear. Since there is a consensus about endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress being involved in the cytotoxicity of many natural compounds, we investigated by Amnis ® Imaging flow cytome-try the mechanistic aspects of curcumin's destabilization of the ER, but also the status of the lysosomal compartment involved in curcumin-associated apoptosis. Curcumin induces ER stress thereby causing an un…