<p>Curcumin Protects Against Radiotherapy-Induced Oxidative Injury to the Skin</p>

Abstract

Objective: Side-effects to normal tissues reduce the therapeutic window of radiotherapy. During radiotherapy, the skin is inevitably exposed to doses of ionizing radiation, leading to varying degrees of skin damage. Natural antioxidants have been explored for their radioprotective potentials. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the protective effect of curcumin against radiotherapy-induced oxidative damage to the skin. Methods: Forty rats were divided into four groups as follows: vehicle control (without irradiation or drug treatment), treatment with 150 mg/kg curcumin, 10 Gy single dose irradiation only, and 150 mg/kg curcumin plus 10 Gy radiation (RC). In the treatment groups, each rat was treated orally with 150 mg/kg curcumin 1 day before irradiation to 3 consecutive days after irradiation. Weeks 1, 2, or 4 after irradiation, all rats were sacrificed and their skin tissues collected and frozen at −80°C for the determination of malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in skin tissues. Results: Radiotherapy-induced oxidative injury to the skin was evidenced by elevated MDA levels as well as depleted CAT, SOD, and GSH-Px activities. However, the administration of curcumin before and after irradiation prevented radiotherapy-induced oxidative damage by significantly elevating the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Conclusion: From the findings of the present study, curcumin showed potential for protection against radiotherapy-induced oxidative injury to the skin. However, future studies are required to evaluate its clinical efficacy.

Targeting of cancer cell death mechanisms by curcumin: Implications to cancer therapy

“…28 Curcumin has been shown to protect several organs such as the lung, gastrointestinal system, heart, liver, testis, bone marrow and skin against the toxic effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. [29][30][31][32][33][34] Although curcumin has interesting effects for use as an adjuvant for patients with cancer, it has some properties that limit its efficiency. Curcumin has a hydrophobic structure.…”

Radiosensitization and Radioprotection by Curcumin in Glioblastoma and Other Cancers

“…The mechanism of radiation-induced skin toxicities has been related to apoptosis and necrosis even weeks after irradiation. [ 60 ] In a recent study, where 40 rats were exposed to curcumin 1 day before irradiation to 3 consecutive days after irradiation, the levels of antioxidant enzymes, including catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA), were found to be considerably elevated after curcumin treatment, suggesting that curcumin reacted to the radiotherapy-induced oxidative damage [ 61 ]. The therapeutic effect of topical application of curcumin after gamma-radiation exposure was assessed in a mini-pig model.…”

Could Polyphenols Really Be a Good Radioprotective Strategy?

“…Recent findings suggest the capability of a pre-treatment with curcumin to prevent radiotherapy-induced oxidative injury to the skin, through enhancing CAT, SOD, and GSH-Px [ 78 ]. Indeed, the low bioavailability of curcumin, due to poor absorption, rapid metabolism, and rapid systemic elimination [ 79 ], was carefully taken into account when approaches aimed at preserving its functionality were investigated.…”