Curcumin: A review of anti-cancer properties and therapeutic activity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is a polyphenol derived from the Curcuma longa plant, commonly known as turmeric. Curcumin has been used extensively in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries, as it is nontoxic and has a variety of therapeutic properties including anti-oxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic activity. More recently curcumin has been found to possess anti-cancer activities via its effect on a variety of biological pathways involved in mutagenesis, oncogene expression, cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, tumorigenesis and metastasis. Curcumin has shown anti-proliferative effect in multiple cancers, and is an inhibitor of the transcription factor NF-B and downstream gene products (including c-myc, Bcl-2, COX-2, NOS, Cyclin D1, TNF-α, interleukins and MMP-9). In addition, curcumin affects a variety of growth factor receptors and cell adhesion molecules involved in tumor growth, angiogenesis and metastasis. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and treatment protocols include disfiguring surgery, platinum-based chemotherapy and radiation, all of which may result in tremendous patient morbidity. As a result, there is significant interest in developing adjuvant chemotherapies to augment currently available treatment protocols, which may allow decreased side effects and toxicity without compromising therapeutic efficacy. Curcumin is one such potential candidate, and this review presents an overview of the current in vitro and in vivo data supporting its therapeutic activity in head and neck cancer as well as some of the challenges concerning its development as an adjuvant chemotherapeutic agent.

Polymeric Micelles: Nanocarriers for Cancer-Targeted Drug Delivery

“…Curcumin is a natural polyphenol compound with promising anticancer application (105,106). It was reported that curcumin blocks NF-κB pathway (107) and in turn, induces apoptosis and inhibits the function of protein kinase C, epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase, and HER-2 (108,109).…”

Plant-derived anticancer agents: a promising treatment for bone metastasis

“…Curcumin is an inhibitor of histone deacetylases, and it induces the apoptosis of numerous cancer cell lines by inhibiting histone and p53 acetylation through specific inhibition of p300/CBP. 40 In addition, curcumin suppress osteoclastogenesis induced by RANKL through the inhibition of NF-kB activation. 41 Curcumin also blocks PTHrP secretion from tumor-like synoviocytes isolated from the joints of rheumatoid arthritis patients that can cause bone loss.…”

The Pleiotropic Effects of Curcumin.

“…Curcumin is the chief constituent of turmeric, which is a spice used traditionally in Indian medicine for its role in diabetes and associated conditions [4] .It is also known to have anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties [5] .In this review article, the various roles of curcumin in medicine will be discussed ISSN: 2320-5407…”