Abstract
Curcumin, a natural component of the rhizome of curcuma longa has emerged as one of the most powerful chemopreventive and anticancer agents. Its biological effects range from antioxidant, anti-inflammatory to inhibition of angiogenesis and is also shown to possess specific antitumoral activity. The molecular mechanism of its varied cellular effects has been studied in some details and it has been shown to have multiple targets and interacting macromolecules within the cell. Curcumin has been shown to possess anti-angiogenic properties and the angioinhibitory effects of curcumin manifest due to down regulation of proangiogenic genes such as VEGF and angiopoitin and a decrease in migration and invasion of endothelial cells. One of the important factors implicated in chemoresistance and induced chemosensitivity is NFkB and curcumin has been shown to down regulate NFkB and inhibit IKB kinase thereby suppressing proliferation and inducing apoptosis. Cell lines that are resistant to certain apoptotic inducers and radiation become susceptible to apoptosis when treated in conjunction with curcumin. Besides this it can also act as a chemopreventive agent in cancers of colon, stomach and skin by suppressing colonic aberrant crypt foci formation and DNA adduct formation. This review focuses on the various aspects of curcumin as a potential drug for cancer treatment and its implications in a variety of biological and cellular processes vis-à-vis its mechanism of action.
Keywords: Curcumin, Cancer, Free radicals, Inflammation, Apoptosis, Chemoprevention
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry
Title: Biological Effects of Curcumin and Its Role in Cancer Chemoprevention and Therapy
Volume: 6 Issue: 3
Author(s): Sarvjeet Singh and Ashok Khar
Affiliation:
Keywords: Curcumin, Cancer, Free radicals, Inflammation, Apoptosis, Chemoprevention
Abstract: Curcumin, a natural component of the rhizome of curcuma longa has emerged as one of the most powerful chemopreventive and anticancer agents. Its biological effects range from antioxidant, anti-inflammatory to inhibition of angiogenesis and is also shown to possess specific antitumoral activity. The molecular mechanism of its varied cellular effects has been studied in some details and it has been shown to have multiple targets and interacting macromolecules within the cell. Curcumin has been shown to possess anti-angiogenic properties and the angioinhibitory effects of curcumin manifest due to down regulation of proangiogenic genes such as VEGF and angiopoitin and a decrease in migration and invasion of endothelial cells. One of the important factors implicated in chemoresistance and induced chemosensitivity is NFkB and curcumin has been shown to down regulate NFkB and inhibit IKB kinase thereby suppressing proliferation and inducing apoptosis. Cell lines that are resistant to certain apoptotic inducers and radiation become susceptible to apoptosis when treated in conjunction with curcumin. Besides this it can also act as a chemopreventive agent in cancers of colon, stomach and skin by suppressing colonic aberrant crypt foci formation and DNA adduct formation. This review focuses on the various aspects of curcumin as a potential drug for cancer treatment and its implications in a variety of biological and cellular processes vis-à-vis its mechanism of action.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Singh Sarvjeet and Khar Ashok, Biological Effects of Curcumin and Its Role in Cancer Chemoprevention and Therapy, Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry 2006; 6 (3) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/187152006776930918
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/187152006776930918 |
Print ISSN 1871-5206 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-5992 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Induction of cell death in cancer cells by modulating telomerase activity using small molecule drugs
Telomeres are distinctive but short stretches present at the corners of chromosomes and aid in stabilizing chromosomal makeup. Resynthesis of telomeres supported by the activity of reverse transcriptase ribonucleoprotein complex telomerase. There is no any telomerase activity in human somatic cells, but the stem cells and germ cells undergone telomerase ...read more
Role of natural compounds as anti anti-cancer agents
Cancer is considered the leading cause of worldwide mortality, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2022. Cancer outcome can be improved through an appropriate screening and early detection and through an efficient clinical treatment. Chemotherapy remains an important approach in treatment o f several types of cancers, even though ...read more
Signaling and enzymatic modulators in cancer treatment
Cancer accounts for nearly 10 million deaths in 2022 and is considered the leading cause of worldwide mortality. Cancer outcome can be improved through an appropriate screening and early detection and through an efficient clinical treatment. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery are the most important approach for the treatment of several ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
Updates of mTOR Inhibitors
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Nanomedicine to Deal With Cancer Cell Biology in Multi-Drug Resistance
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Sphingolipid Metabolism and Leukemia: A Potential for Novel Therapeutic Approaches
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Neurobiology of Depression and Novel Antidepressant Drug Targets
Current Pharmaceutical Design TGF-Beta Type I Receptor (Alk5) Kinase Inhibitors in Oncology
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Progress Towards Clinically Useful Aldosterone Synthase Inhibitors
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Role of Mitochondrial Translocator Protein (18 kDa) on Mitochondrial- Related Cell Death Processes
Recent Patents on Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Drug Discovery The ALK Gene, An Attractive Target for Inhibitor Development
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Integrins: Novel Therapeutic Targets for Cardiovascular Diseases
Cardiovascular & Hematological Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Biological Agents Involved in Malignant Mesothelioma: Relevance as Biomarkers or Therapeutic Targets
Current Cancer Drug Targets Advances in Peptide-based Human Papillomavirus Therapeutic Vaccines
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry MYC as Therapeutic Target for Embryonal Tumors: Potential and Challenges
Current Cancer Drug Targets Optimized Radial Basis Neural Network for Classification of Breast Cancer Images
Current Medical Imaging Patent Selections
Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery Genetics of Bladder Malignant Tumors in Childhood
Current Genomics miR-1247 is Correlated with Prognosis of Pancreatic Cancer and Inhibits Cell Proliferation by Targeting Neuropilins
Current Molecular Medicine Transdermal Drug Delivery: Opportunities and Challenges for Controlled Delivery of Therapeutic Agents Using Nanocarriers
Current Drug Metabolism Acetylcholinesterase Enzyme Inhibitor Molecules with Therapeutic Potential for Alzheimer's Disease
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets Trophoblast Invasion: A Possible Link Between Implantation Deficiencies and Preeclampsia
Current Women`s Health Reviews Antineoplastic Effects of PPARγ Agonists, with a Special Focus on Thyroid Cancer
Current Medicinal Chemistry