乳腺癌是全球第二常见的癌症类型，也是女性癌症死亡的主要原因。膳食生物活性物质可能在肿瘤发生、促进和进展的不同阶段起作用。香料已有几千年的历史，并含有多种具有抗癌和化疗特性的生物活性化合物。姜黄素具有多种有益的生物学特性，包括抗炎和抗癌效果。本研究调查了使用姜黄素和化疗药物马法仑（melphalan）对培养的MDA-MB-231乳腺癌细胞的联合治疗效果。单独使用姜黄素和马法仑对乳腺癌细胞均具有细胞毒作用。联合使用11.65µM姜黄素和93.95µM马法仑（CURC/MEL）治疗24小时和48小时后，细胞存活率分别降低了28.64%和72.43%。CURC/MEL减少了结节形成单位的数量，并使ROS水平增加了1.36倍。CURC/MEL改变了细胞周期进展，诱导细胞凋亡，并上调了MDA-MB-231细胞的caspases-3、-7和-9。姜黄素和马法仑的联合治疗对乳腺癌细胞具有抗癌效果，是临床测试的有希望的候选物。© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.

Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer worldwide and the leading cause of cancer death in women. Dietary bioactive compounds may act at different stages of carcinogenesis, including tumor initiation, promotion, and progression. Spices have been used for thousands of years and have many bioactive compounds with chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic properties. Curcumin has a multitude of beneficial biological properties, including anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects. This study investigated the effects of cotreatment with curcumin and the chemotherapeutic drug melphalan in cultured MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. When used alone, both curcumin and melphalan had a cytotoxic effect on breast cancer cells. Combined treatment with 11.65 µM of curcumin and 93.95 µM of melphalan (CURC/MEL) reduced cell viability by 28.64% and 72.43% after 24 h and 48 h, respectively. CURC/MEL reduced the number of colony-forming units and increased ROS levels by 1.36-fold. CURC/MEL alter cell cycle progression, induce apoptosis, and upregulate caspases-3, -7, and -9, in MDA-MB-231 cells. Cotreatment with curcumin and melphalan have anti-breast cancer cells effects and represent a promising candidate for clinical testing.© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.