Curcumin: New Insights into an Ancient Ingredient against Cancer

Willenbacher, Ella; Khan, Shah Zeb; Mujica, Sara Cecilia Altuna; Trapani, Dario; Hussain, Sadaqat; Wolf, Dominik; Willenbacher, Wolfgang; Spizzo, Gilbert; Seeber, Andreas

doi:10.3390/ijms20081808

Cited by 129 publications

(101 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…However, being similar to other antioxidants including vitamin E, vitamin C, and carotenoids, curcumin has been found to show double-edged roles in the level of intracellular ROS, which appeared to be highly dependent on the cell type [30][31][32]. Curcumin has been reported to elevate ROS levels in multiple cancer cells [30][31][32]. In this study, in line with the well-accepted anti-oxidative activity of curcumin in normal and non-malignant cells [29][30][31][32], 4-week exposure of rats to 40 mg/kg ACR markedly enhanced the level of MDA (an essential biomarker of oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation), decreased the content of GSH (a biologically important intracellular thiol acting as a free radical scavenger) and the activities of SOD and GSH-Px (two important antioxidant enzymes) in the brain tissues.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…ACR exposure has been demonstrated to result in a disturbance in the balance between the free radical formation and elimination, the latter of which is mediated by antioxidant systems [11,12]. The phenolic structure in curcumin confers electron-capturing properties, which destabilize ROS, explaining the wellaccepted antioxidant effects [30]. However, being similar to other antioxidants including vitamin E, vitamin C, and carotenoids, curcumin has been found to show double-edged roles in the level of intracellular ROS, which appeared to be highly dependent on the cell type [30][31][32].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The phenolic structure in curcumin confers electron-capturing properties, which destabilize ROS, explaining the wellaccepted antioxidant effects [30]. However, being similar to other antioxidants including vitamin E, vitamin C, and carotenoids, curcumin has been found to show double-edged roles in the level of intracellular ROS, which appeared to be highly dependent on the cell type [30][31][32]. Curcumin has been reported to elevate ROS levels in multiple cancer cells [30][31][32].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The anti-apoptotic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin on acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity in rats

Guo

Cao

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Acrylamide (ACR) formed during heating of tobacco and carbohydrate-rich food as well as widely applied in industries has been known as a well-established neurotoxic pollutant. Although the precise mechanism is unclear, enhanced apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammation have been demonstrated to contribute to the ACR-induced neurotoxicity. In this study, we assessed the possible anti-apoptotic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin, the most active component in a popular spice known as turmeric, on the neurotoxicity caused by ACR in rats.Methods: Curcumin at the dose of 50 and 100 mg/kg was orally given to ACR- intoxicated Sprague-Dawley rats exposed by ACR at 40mg/kg for 4 weeks. All rats were subjected to behavioral analysis. The HE staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) staining were used to detect histopathological changes and apoptotic cells, respectively. The mRNA and protein expressions of apoptosis-related molecule telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) were detected using real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) as well as the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were measured as the indicators for evaluating the level of oxidative stress in brain. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokinestumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the cerebral homogenates were detected using ELISA assay.Results: ACR-induced weigh loss, deficits in motor function as well as pathological alterations in brains were significantly improved in rats administrated with 50 and 100 mg/kg curcumin. TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells in curcumin-treated ACR intoxicated brains were less than those in the ACR model group. Curcumin administration especially at the dose of 100 mg/kg upregulated the TERT mRNA expression and enhanced the number of TERT-positive cells in ACR-intoxicated cortex tissues. Moreover, curcumin treatment reduced the concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1β and MDA, while increased the GSH contents as well as the SOD and GSH-Px activities in the cerebral homogenates, in comparison to ACR control group.Conclusions: These data suggested the anti-apoptotic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin on ACR-induced neurotoxicity in rats. Maintaining TERT-related anti-apoptotic function might be one mechanism underlying the protective effect of curcumin on ACR-intoxicated brains.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The anti-apoptotic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin on acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity in rats

Guo

Cao

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…For instance, the high lipophilicity of curcumin has led to too low oral bioavailability, chemical stability, and intracellular concentrations to make the results from clinical studies evaluating its anticancer activity reliable. 204 This has led to attempts to increase the overall anticancer activity of curcumin by introducing structural modifications in the molecule that would improve its selectivity towards cancer cells as well as its bioavailability and/or stability, or to use delivery systems that would improve its physicochemical properties. 117 The active ingredients from other Zingiberacea species may conceivably also pose such problems which may be solved through comparable strategies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phytochemical and Pharmacological Support for the Traditional Uses of Zingiberacea Species in Suriname - A Review of the Literature

Mans¹,

Djotaroeno²,

Friperson³

et al. 2019

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the common ginger Zingiber officinale Roscoe are well-known spices, condiments, and flavoring compounds. 3 And the leaves and flowers from C. longa, the grains of paradise Aframomum melegueta K. Schum., the white ginger Hedychium coronarium J. Koenig, and the east-Indian galangal Kaempferia galanga L. are consumed as vegetables and used as key ingredients of spicy savory dishes and/or herbal teas. 3Various species in the genera Alpinia Roxb., 1810, Curcuma L., Globba L., Hedychium J. Koenig, Kaempferia L., and Renealmia L.f. have visually attractive flowers and inflorescences and are cultivated as ornamentals. 3 The rhizomes from many species in the genera Alpinia Roxb., 1810, Curcuma L., Hedychium J. Koenig, and Zingiber Mill., 1754 contain essential oils for producing soaps, cosmetics, and perfumes. 3 In addition, a number of ginger species are medicinally used in various traditional systems throughout the world. Examples are A. melegueta, C. longa, and Z. officinale, preparations of which are used for treating many diseases ranging from infectious diseases and inflammatory conditions to hypertension and diabetes mellitus. 4 Parts from A. melegueta, C. longa, and R. alpinia are also used in religious ceremonies. 3 This paper first presents some general information about the Zingiberacea family, subsequently provides some background on Suriname, then extensively addresses the traditional uses of one representative species of the seven Zingiberacea genera in the ABSTRACT The Zingiberacea or ginger family is a family of flowering plants comprising roughly 1,600 species of aromatic perennial herbs with creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes divided into about 50 genera. The Zingiberaceae are distributed throughout tropical Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Many members are economically important as spices, ornamentals, cosmetics, traditional medicines, and/or ingredients of religious rituals. One of the most prominent characteristics of this plant family is the presence of essential oils in particularly the rhizomes but in some cases also the leaves and other parts of the plant. The essential oils are in general made up of a variety of, among others, terpenoid and phenolic compounds with important biological activities. The Republic of Suriname (South America) is well-known for its ethnic and cultural diversity as well as its extensive ethnopharmacological knowledge and unique plant biodiversity. This paper first presents some general information on the Zingiberacea family, subsequently provides some background about Suriname and the Zingiberacea species in the country, then extensively addresses the traditional uses of one representative of the seven genera in the country and provides the phytochemical and pharmacological support for these uses, and concludes with a critical appraisal of the medicinal values of these plants.

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“…A number of clinical trials have shown the efficacy of curcumin as anti-cancer agent in several types of cancer including pancreatic, colorectal, cervical, oral and breast cancer [282,283]. However, clinical studies documenting the inhibitory effects of curcumin in PCa is scarce.…”

Section: Clinical Trialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanism of Anti-Cancer Activity of Curcumin on Androgen-Dependent and Androgen-Independent Prostate Cancer

et al. 2020

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Prostate cancer (PCa) is a heterogeneous disease and ranked as the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in males worldwide. The global burden of PCa keeps rising regardless of the emerging cutting-edge technologies for treatment and drug designation. There are a number of treatment options which are effectively treating localised and androgen-dependent PCa (ADPC) through hormonal and surgery treatments. However, over time, these cancerous cells progress to androgen-independent PCa (AIPC) which continuously grow despite hormone depletion. At this particular stage, androgen depletion therapy (ADT) is no longer effective as these cancerous cells are rendered hormone-insensitive and capable of growing in the absence of androgen. AIPC is a lethal type of disease which leads to poor prognosis and is a major contributor to PCa death rates. A natural product-derived compound, curcumin has been identified as a pleiotropic compound which capable of influencing and modulating a diverse range of molecular targets and signalling pathways in order to exhibit its medicinal properties. Due to such multi-targeted behaviour, its benefits are paramount in combating a wide range of diseases including inflammation and cancer disease. Curcumin exhibits anti-cancer properties by suppressing cancer cells growth and survival, inflammation, invasion, cell proliferation as well as possesses the ability to induce apoptosis in malignant cells. In this review, we investigate the mechanism of curcumin by modulating multiple signalling pathways such as androgen receptor (AR) signalling, activating protein-1 (AP-1), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases/the serine/threonine kinase (PI3K/Akt/mTOR), wingless (Wnt)/ß-catenin signalling, and molecular targets including nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and cyclin D1 which are implicated in the development and progression of both types of PCa, ADPC and AIPC. In addition, the role of microRNAs and clinical trials on the anti-cancer effects of curcumin in PCa patients were also reviewed.

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Curcumin: New Insights into an Ancient Ingredient against Cancer

Cited by 129 publications

References 65 publications

The anti-apoptotic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin on acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity in rats

The anti-apoptotic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin on acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity in rats

Phytochemical and Pharmacological Support for the Traditional Uses of Zingiberacea Species in Suriname - A Review of the Literature

Mechanism of Anti-Cancer Activity of Curcumin on Androgen-Dependent and Androgen-Independent Prostate Cancer

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