Abstract: Objective To investigate the inhibitory effect of curcumin on telomerase activity of HeLa cells. Methods The growth inhibition rate of HeLa cells treated with curcumin was measured with MTT method. The expression of hTERT mRNA was studied using RT-PCR. Telomerse activity was examined by TRAP-ELISA. Results The growth of HeLa cells treated with curcumin was inhibited in concentration dependent manner and the expression of hTERT mRNA and the level of telomerase activity were down-regulated significantly. Conclusion Curcumin can inhibit telomerase activity of HeLa cells.The underlying mechanism might be related to the down-regulation of hTERT transcription.

Key words: Curcumin, Telomerase, Cervix neoplasm, hTERT