Chemoprotective effects of curcumin in esophageal epithelial cells exposed to bile acids

Figure 2 Effect of curcumin and deoxycholic acid on cyclooxygenase-2 gene expression. A: Effect of curcumin on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene expression. HET-1A cells in 6-well plates at a density of 1.5 × 10⁵ cells per well incubated with curcumin for 24 h showed unaltered gene expression of COX-2 when compared to vehicle control (0.2% ethanol). Error bars: mean ± SD (n = 4); B: Effect of both deoxycholic acid and curcumin on COX-2 gene expression. HET-1A cells in 6-well plates at a density of 1.5 × 10⁵ cells per well incubated with deoxycholic acid (DCA) for 24 h showed increased gene expression of COX-2 with increasing doses of DCA when compared to vehicle control (0.2% ethanol). The addition of curcumin diminished the increase in gene expression. Error bars: mean ± SD (n = 4).