This paper aims to investigate the effects of curcumin on TGF-β-induced proliferation, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer AGS cells and preliminarily explore its cancer-suppressing pathways. Curcumin and TGF-β were used to treat AGS cells cultured in vitro. Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion capabilities were assessed by MTT assay, scratch assay, and Transwell assay, respectively. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of E-cadherin, Vimentin, Bcl-2, Bax, and signaling pathway proteins Akt, P-Akt, and FASN. RT-PCR was employed to determine FASN mRNA expression. Curcumin counteracted the effects of TGF-β on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of AGS cells. In the TGF-β group, E-cadherin expression was downregulated, while Vimentin, P-Akt, and FASN expression were upregulated. In the curcumin + TGF-β group, E-cadherin and Bax were upregulated, whereas Vimentin, Bcl-2, P-Akt, and FASN were downregulated compared to the TGF-β group. Curcumin antagonized the TGF-β-induced upregulation of FASN-mRNA expression in AGS cells.Curcumin may counteract TGF-β-induced proliferation, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer AGS cells by reducing Akt phosphorylation and inhibiting FASN synthesis, thus altering the synthetic metabolism of the cells and inhibiting their epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.

Wenzhen Wang, Xiaomeng Chen, Haofan Hou, Xinyu Zheng, Xingzhou Xia. The Effect of Curcumin on TGF-β-Induced Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion of Gastric Cancer AGS Cells. International Journal of Frontiers in Medicine(2025), Vol. 7, Issue 2: 103-110. https://doi.org/10.25236/IJFM.2025.070215.

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