Fig. 10

Schematic representation of curcumin-induced apoptosis in LN-18 human GBM cells. Curcumin induces intrinsic apoptosis by causing early DNA damage and disrupting mitochondrial function. This leads to MMP and cardiolipin loss, potentially prompting the release of cytochrome c into the cytoplasm. The release of cytochrome c leads to the cleavage of pro-caspase-9, changing it into an active form. This triggers the formation of an apoptosome complex, comprising cytochrome c, the adaptor protein Apaf-1, and active caspase-9. Subsequently, this complex cleaves and activates executor caspase-3, initiating apoptosis. NAC pretreatment inhibits curcumin-induced apoptosis, indicating the significant role of ROS in the cell death process of curcumin-treated LN-18 cells. Curcumin was also suggested to induce apoptosis through the suppression of miRNA-21