Universa Medicina
Vol. 45 No. 2 (2026): Ahead Of Print

The Effect of Nanoliposomal Curcumin (Cur-NLPs) Proliferation Rate with Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK-8) and PI3K expression in cervical cancer HeLa cells

Subandi Subandi (Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia)
Ferry Suciati (Master Program in Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia)
Maya Devi Arifiandi (Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia)
I Wayan Agung Indrawan (Department of Social Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Saiful Anwar General Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
21 Jul 2026

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONCervical cancer is a major health problem in developing countries. Cisplatin therapy has limitations related to toxicity and drug resistance associated with activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Curcumin has anticancer activity, but its bioavailability is low; therefore, it has been developed in a nanoliposomal formulation. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of curcumin nanoliposomes (Cur-NLPs) on proliferation and PI3K expression of HeLa cells. METHODSAn experimental study was conducted using HeLa cells, divided into seven groups: negative control, cisplatin 5 µg/mL, and Cur-NLPs groups at 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 µg/mL. Cell viability was measured using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8). Measurements were performed at 24 and 48 hours at a wavelength of 450 nm. Based on viability results, PI3K expression was analyzed at 48 hours using flow cytometry in five groups: negative control, cisplatin, and Cur-NLPs at 100, 150, and 200 µg/mL. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Games-Howell test. RESULTSCur-NLPs significantly reduced HeLa cell viability at 24 and 48 hours (p<0.001). The 200 µg/mL dose showed the most optimal antiproliferative effect, with viability of 38.3% at 24 hours and 18.0% at 48 hours. PI3K expression in the Cur-NLPs group (42.49–45.03%) was lower than that in the cisplatin group (66.78%), but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.063). CONCLUSIONCur-NLPs inhibited HeLa cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner and showed a trend toward reduced PI3K expression. Further replication and analysis of downstream PI3K markers are needed to confirm these findings.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

medicina

Publisher

Subject

Health Professions Immunology & microbiology Medicine & Pharmacology Public Health

Description

Universa Medicina (univ.med) is a four-monthly medical journal that publishes new research findings on a wide variety of topics of importance to biomedical science and clinical practice. Universa Medicina Online contains both the current issue and an online archive that can be accessed through ...