Comparative evaluation of curcumin and resveratrol in breast cancer: network pharmacology, molecular docking, and in-vitro radio-modulating validation in MDA-MB-231 cells.

内容摘要

Curcumin and resveratrol are phytochemicals that require comprehensive investigation beyond their established anticancer properties to delineate their broader biological roles. Focusing on emerging radiobiological identification of natural radio-modulators from phytochemicals, especially polyphenols, to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of radiotherapy. Network pharmacology analysis was employed to identify bioactive compounds of curcumin and resveratrol and to elucidate their associated molecular targets and signalling pathways in breast cancer. The molecular docking analysis highlighted AKT (PDB ID: 2UZR), TNF (PDB ID: 4RSU), TP53 (PDB ID: 6VIP) as protein targets exhibiting comparatively favourable docking interaction profiles. In vitro radiation sensitivity experiments using low-dose X-rays were conducted to assess potential approaches for enhancing breast cancer radiotherapy. The primary aim of this study was to explore the potential targets of curcumin and resveratrol in breast cancer using network pharmacology and molecular docking, complemented by experimental evaluation as a preliminary screening of their radiation-modulating properties. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40203-026-00677-6.