Curcumin-mediated modulation of immunogenic cancer cell death pathways

Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a regulated form of cell death characterized by the release of danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) such as calreticulin, ATP, and HMGB1, which activate dendritic cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes to promote antitumor immunity. This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying DAMP release and associated signaling pathways, with an emphasis on how curcumin modulate ICD. Curcumin serves as a representative compound, exhibiting the ability to trigger ICD through endoplasmic reticulum stress, oxidative stress modulation, calcium homeostasis disruption, and ferroptosis induction. The diversity of cell death modalities elicited by curcumin reflects tumor type-specific differences in stress-response capacity, redox buffering, and metabolic vulnerabilities. Understanding these mechanisms provides a basis for developing curcumin-based strategies to enhance cancer immunotherapy efficacy.