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Curcumin: the multi-targeted therapy for cancer regression

Dewan Md Sakib Hossain1, Sankar Bhattacharyya, Tanya Das

  • 1Division of Molecular Medicine, Bose Institute, P-1/12 CIT Scheme VII M, Kolkata, India.

Frontiers in Bioscience (Scholar Edition)
|December 29, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Curcumin, a natural polyphenol, exhibits diverse anti-cancer properties, including anti-carcinogenic and antioxidant effects. This review explores its molecular mechanisms for potential clinical cancer prevention strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Natural Product Chemistry

Background:

  • Cancer involves complex genetic and signaling pathway deregulation.
  • Current cancer therapies have adverse effects, necessitating safer alternatives.
  • Natural compounds like curcumin offer multi-targeted therapeutic potential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the anti-cancer properties of curcumin.
  • To emphasize the molecular basis of curcumin's action in tumorigenesis.
  • To explore curcumin's potential for clinical cancer prevention.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on molecular mechanisms of curcumin's anti-cancer activities.
  • Analysis of curcumin's effects on cell signaling pathways.
  • Evaluation of curcumin's antioxidant and systemic toxicity amelioration.

Main Results:

  • Curcumin demonstrates anti-carcinogenic, pro-apoptotic, anti-angiogenic, anti-metastatic, immunomodulatory, and antioxidant activities.
  • Its pleotropic effects involve diverse molecular mechanisms and cell signaling pathways.
  • Curcumin acts as a potent reactive oxygen species scavenger, reducing tumor-bearer toxicity.

Conclusions:

  • Curcumin possesses significant anti-cancer properties with broad molecular targeting capabilities.
  • Its safety profile and multifaceted actions make it a promising candidate for cancer prevention.
  • Further clinical investigation into curcumin's therapeutic potential is warranted.

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