Curcumin inhibits cell viability, proliferation and colony formation of CRC cells.

<p>(A) Chemical structure of curcumin: (1<i>E</i>,6<i>E</i>)-1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione. (B) MTT and (C) BrdU assays were performed to determine the best effective sub-toxic concentration of curcumin. CRC cells were treated with curcumin at various concentrations for 72 h (data represent the mean of independent experiments performed in triplicate). (D) The long-term anti-proliferative effects were evaluated in a colony formation assay. The cells were treated with curcumin for 12 to 16 days until distinct colonies were visible. Representative images of from an experiment illustrating colony formation results in controls (DMSO treated) and curcumin-treated HCT116, RKO and HT29 cancer cells.