Research Description

Comparing the Effects of Heat-Treated and Non-Heat-Treated Turmeric on Viability and Apoptosis in Human HL-60 Cancer Cells

Preliminary results from a current human study conducted in the department of Food Science and Human Nutrition demonstrate that many spices consumed in the human diet are bioavailable and have measurable, potentially beneficial effects at the cellular and molecular levels. Turmeric, which is being studied in heat-treated and non-heat-treated form, has demonstrated interesting DNA strand break results that support further study. The aim of this University Scholars research project is to create a model system to mimic these results in vitro. Human HL-60 cancer cells from a promyelocytic cell line will be cultured and treated with both heat-treated and non-heat-treated turmeric extracts. The first assay to be conducted is the MTT colorimetric assay, which will assess cell viability in the spice extracts versus a control. The results of a time course study will also show when cell death is occurring, and this information will be used to plan a study of apoptotic mechanisms within the cell. Caspase is a cysteine protease known to be involved in apoptosis, which is of interest to researchers who want to study how this enzyme becomes active to induce cancer cell death. The results from the MTT and caspase assays will be analyzed to show any differences between heat-treated and non-heat-treated forms of turmeric. Differences in cell viability or apoptosis may support further study to isolate the active compounds within the spice extracts. A DPPH antioxidant assay may be performed to show variability in antioxidant content. Overall, this research project aims to answer questions about how spices, specifically turmeric, may contribute to a healthy diet through beneficial compounds that decrease cancer risk.