- Sundaram, Chitra; Jhurani, Sonia; Kunnumakkara, Ajaikumar B.; Aggarwal, Bharat B. Cancer Letters (Shannon, Ireland) (2008), 267(1), 133-164
The article is an extensive review, the authors conclude that an "old-age" disease such as cancer can benefit an "age-old" treatment (turmeric/curcumin).
Scientific Essence: Cancer is considered a disease of old age, and life style plays a major role in the development of most cancers. Turmeric and its primary active ingredient curcumin has been used traditionally to treat a range of diseased states including cancer. The anti cancer-activity of curcumin against leukemia and lymphoma, gastrointestinal cancers, genitourinary cancers, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, lung cancer, melanoma, neurological cancers, and sarcoma reflects its ability to affect multiple targets.
- Stix, Gary. Scientific American (2007), 296(2), 66-69
Scientific Essence: Turmeric, an orange-yellow powder from an Asian plant, Curcuma longa and it's primary biologically active components (curcumin and related compounds called curcuminoids) have been described as having antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties, with potential activity against cancer, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease and other chronic maladies. Because curcumin targets so many biological pathways, it is an attractive candidate for cancer therapy. Recent efforts to examine the possibility of using curcumin for treating cancer are discussed in the article.
- Shoba G, Joy D, Joseph T, Majeed M, Rajendran R, Srinivas PS. Planta Med. 1998 May; 64(4):353-6
Scientific Essence: This study shows the effect of piperine (the active ingredient of black pepper) on the bioavailablity, serum concentration and extends of absorption in humans. Curcumin and piperin were simultaneously administered, the bioavailablity of curcumin increased by 2000%. A significant increase in the concentration of curcumin in blood was also observed. No adverse effects were observed.
The Concept of a Green Drug, Curcumin and its derivatives as a model system
- 2009, Volume 6, No.2. K. S. Raja, R. Balambika, S. Dolai and W. Shi
Scientific Essence: Only 5-15% of the ~25000 existing species of plants have been examined for the presence of biologically active compounds. The ancient medical systems use a much larger palette of herbs for therapy. Systematic drug discovery involving using cues provided from traditional medical systems is bound to produce a new generation of green drugs. Curcumin the primary active ingredient in Curcuma longa is used as a model to demonstrate the concept of green drug development. Synthetic and formulation based approaches to optimize the bioactivity of curcumin is presented.
- Villegas, Isabel; Sanchez-Fidalgo, Susana; Alarcon de la Lastra, Catalina. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (2008), 52(9), 1040-1061
Scientific Essence: Recently a number of studies have provided evidence of the pharmacological properties of curcumin such as wound healing, antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungical, immunomodulatory, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Data from recent research provides insights into how curcumin produces effect on cancer chemoprevention and chemotherapy. There are preclinical studies which have demonstrated curcumin's ability to inhibit carcinogenesis in various types of cancers. Curcumin interacts with multiple molecular targets affecting the multistep process which leads to the onset of cancer. Curcumin is also able to stop the cell cycle, to inhibit inflammation and the oxidative stress and to induce cell-death in cancer cells. It has been shown to possess marked antiangiogenic properties. The review article provides an update of the bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of curcumin and illustrates the recently discovered pathways responsible of its anticancer potential.
- Yu, Siwang; Shen, Guoxiang; Khor, Tin Oo; Kim, Jung-Hwan; Kong, Ah-Ng Tony. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics (2008), 7(9), 2609-2620
Scientific Essence: This study reveals the profound effects of curcumin on the Akt/mTOR signaling network in PC-3 cells and provides new mechanisms for the anticancer effects of curcumin.
- Watson, Jane L.; Hill, Richard; Lee, Patrick W.; Giacomantonio, Carman A.; Hoskin, David W. Experimental and Molecular Pathology (2008), 84(3), 230-233.
Scientific Essence: Curcumin, a phytochemical derived from the rhizome of Curcuma longa, exhibits both cancer-preventative activity and growth inhibitory effects on cancerous cells. The authors conclude that curcumin induces cell death in colon cancer cells, the process does not depend on p21 status.
- Goel, Ajay; Jhurani, Sonia; Aggarwal, Bharat B. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (2008), 52(9), 1010-1030
Scientific Essence: Traditional medicines have been used for thousands of years. However, for most such medicines neither the active component nor their molecular targets have been established. Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric is an exception to this phenomenon. Separate inhibitors of cyclooxygenase-2, HER2, tumor necrosis factor, EGFR, Bcr-abl, proteasome, and vascular endothelial cell growth factor have been approved for human use by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but curcumin as a single agent can be used to down-regulate all these targets. Thus, curcumin is an attractive candidate for multi-targeted therapy, which is needed for treatment of most diseases. In addition, curcumin is inexpensive and has been found to be safe in human clinical trials. The review article studies the key molecular mechanisms involved in the effect of curcumin. The authors compare curcumin to some of the single-targeted therapies currently used for treatment of cancer.
- Lin, Chih-Li; Lin, Jen-Kun. Journal of Cancer Molecules (2008), 4(1), 11-16.
Scientific Essence: Curcumin is a natural compound isolated from turmeric. It has strong therapeutic or preventive potential against a number of diseases. The beneficial effects of curcumin arise from its anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancerous properties. Persistent inflammation may be involved in the process of cancer development. For this reason, the overactivation of NF-B, a master switch in inflammation, is responsible for a variety of human cancers. Curcumin exercises anti-inflammatory effects substantially by interrupting NF-B signaling at various levels. The authors conclude by saying that curcumin demonstrates valuable potential in the cancer treatment through inhibiting the activity of I-B kinase, IKK. The article provides an insight into the anticancer effects of curcumin and the mechanisms of action of curcumin.
- Im, Krishna Kumar; Maliakel, Balu P. Agro Food Industry Hi-Tech (2007), 18(5), 52-53A
Scientific Essence: The yellow pigment curcumin is isolated from the rhizomes turmeric (Curcuma longa, ginger family) native to south India and now cultivating in various south east Asian countries. Curcumin has become one of the most cited natural molecules in terms of its capacity to deliver a multitude of health guarding effects. The role of curcumin in cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and inflammatory diseases is reviewed in the article.
- Aggarwal, Bharat B.; Bhatt, Indra D.; Ichikawa, Haruyo; Ahn, Kwang Seok; Sethi, Gautam; Sandur, Santosh K.; Sundaram, Chitra; Seeram, Navindra; Shishodia, Shishir. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants--Industrial Profiles (2007), 45(Turmeric), 297-368
Scientific Essence: The biological and medicinal properties of curcumin, the most active component of turmeric (Curcuma longa), which is a perennial herb belonging to the ginger family is discussed in the review article. The protective effects of curcumin against cancer, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer's disease and several other diseases are described.
- Aggarwal, Bharat B.; Banerjee, Sanjeev; Bharadwaj, Uddalak; Sung, Bokyung; Shishodia, Shishir; Sethi, Gautam. Biochemical Pharmacology (2007), 73(7), 1024-1032
Scientific Essence: Curcumin is a well-known anticancer agent and has been shown to suppress the multiplication of a wide variety of tumor cells. Some of the mechanisms by which curcumin mediates its anticancer properties were unraveled by the investigators.
- Zheng, L.; Tong, Q.; Wu, C Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine (2006), 12(2), 126-131
Scientific Essence: The study established that curcumin could significantly inhibit the growth of human ovarian cancer cells; Curcumin induces cancer cell death possibly by up-regulating Caspase-3 and down-regulating gene expression of NF-B.
- Singh,Sarvjeet; Khar, Ashok. Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry (2006), 6(3), 259-270.
Scientific Essence: Curcumin has emerged as one of the most powerful chemopreventive and anticancer agents. Its biological effects include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and inhibition of angiogenesis properties. In addition, it is also shown to possess specific antitumoral activity. The current review article focuses on the various aspects of curcumin as a potential cancer drug and its implications in a number of biological processes.
- Chen, A.; Xu, J.; Johnson, A. C. Oncogene (2006), 25(2), 278-287
Scientific Essence: In many solid tumors such as colorectal cancers, high expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is observed. EGFR is a logical target for anticancer therapy. Curcumin has been recognized as a promising dietary supplement for cancer prevention and treatment. In the article the authors demonstrate that curcumin inhibited human colon cancer cell growth by suppressing gene expression of EGFR through reducing the trans-activation activity of Egr-1. These results provided new insights into the mechanisms of curcumin inhibition of colon cancer cell growth and potential approaches for treatment of colon cancer.
- Campbell, Frederick C.; Collett, Gavin P. Future Oncology (2005), 1(3), 405-41.
Scientific Essence: The article advocates a preventive approach: the prevention of the onset of tumor formation by natural nontoxic compounds may be an efficient method of dealing with the cancer burden of the population. Extensive research has addressed the chemotherapeutic potential of curcumin which is a nontoxic plant-derived substance which is Generally Regarded as Safe by FDA. This article reviews the exclusive properties of curcumin that may be used for successful prevention of cancer.
- Sudarshana Purkayastha, Alexandra Berliner, Suraj Shawn Fernando, Buddima Ranasinghe, Indrani Ray, Hussnain Tariq, Probal Banerjee. Brain Research 2009 in press
Scientific Essence: Turmeric is an essential ingredient of the Southeast Asian Cuisine. It contains a polyphenolic compound, curcumin which eliminates cancer cells derived from a variety of peripheral tissues. In the article it was shown that solubilized curcumin is a promising candidate for blocking brain tumor formation and also for the elimination of brain tumor cells.
- Deeb, Dorrah; Jiang, Hao; Gao, Xiaohua; Hafner, Mikehl S.; Wong, Henry; Divine, George; Chapman, Robert A.; Dulchavsky, Scott A.; Gautam, Subhash C. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics (2004), 3(7), 803-812
Scientific Essence: Scientific studies indicate that a diet rich in plant-derived foods plays an important role in the prevention of prostate cancer. The yellow pigment curcumin from turmeric has been shown to demonstrate chemopreventive and growth inhibitory effects against several cancer cell lines. Some of the mechanisms by which curcumin displays its anti-cancer properties has been unraveled in this paper.
- Shi W, Dolai S, Rizk S, Hussain A, Tariq H, Averick S, L`Amoreaux W, El Idrissi A, Banerjee P and Raja KS; Organic Letters, 2007, 9, 5461-5464
Scientific Essence: The article describes a technology to produce a range of curcumin derivatives. The anticancer and anti-Alzheimer's disease properties of curcumin and some of its derivatives are also discussed.
- Dorai, Thambi; Cao, Yi-Chen; Dorai, Bhuvaneswari; Buttyan, Ralph; Katz, Aaron E. Prostate (New York, NY, United States) (2001), 47(4), 293-303
Scientific Essence: Curcumin could be a potentially therapeutic anti-cancer agent, as it significantly inhibits prostate cancer cell growth.
- Reuter, Simone; Eifes, Serge; Dicato, Mario; Aggarwal, Bharat B.; Diederich, Marc. Biochemical Pharmacology (2008), 76(11), 1340-1351
Scientific Essence: Curcumin has chemopreventive properties, which are ascribed to its capacity of arresting cell cycle and ability to induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) in cancerous cells. The review covers the main mechanisms by which curcumin induce cancer cell aopotosis.
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