Antiproliferative effects of curcuphenol, a sesquiterpene phenol.

Curcuphenol is a sesquiterpene isolated from sponges and plants having several significant biological activities. The present study explored its effect on cell proliferation and apoptosis in Caco-2 human colon cancer cells. It was demonstrated that curcuphenol in concentrations in the range of 29-116 µg/ml inhibited cell proliferation and DNA replication and induced cell death in a dose-dependent manner. The induction of apoptosis was associated with a stimulation of the activity of caspase-3. The findings presented here suggest that curcuphenol has antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic properties.