org/
resistant to treatment. This is where curcumins value truly lies, because it has the ability to induce apoptosis (programmed cell
death) in a variety of hormone-negative cancers.18-20 Remarkably, curcumin produces virtually no change in healthy breast cells,
with very low toxicity even at doses as high as 8,000 mg daily.21
In human cancer patients, curcumin doses as high as 3,600 mg a day have been shown to induce the following favorable anticancer effects:
Paraptosis. A process similar to apoptosis (programmed cell death), curcumin initiates paraptosis only in breast cancer
cells, resulting in their rapid destruction.22
Targeted destruction of cancer-cell mitochondria (leaving mitochondria in healthy cells unaffected).22
Disruption of the cancer cell cycle. Curcumin can suspend cancerous cells in a non-reproductive state within their life
cycle, thereby halting their replication.20,23-25
Cancer cell downregulation. Curcumin blocks a group of molecules vital to the process of metastasis. In animal
models, it has been shown to reduce metastatic spread to the lungs via this pathway.17,26,27
Arrested stem cell development. Curcumin inhibits growth and renewal of so-called cancer stem cells, aberrant cells
now believed to be at the root of many cancers, including breast cancer.3,28
Curcumin has also been shown to effectively combat cervical cancer, a leading cause of cancer
death in women in developing nations and a common cancer in this country.29 It is caused largely
by infection with the human papilloma virus, or HPV. Curcumins anti-inflammatory effects break the
link that triggers HPV-induced cancer development.29,30
Curcumin further promotes apoptosis of cancer cells within the lining of the uterus and reduces
the growth rate of painful but non-malignant uterine leiomyomas (uterine fibroids). 31-34
Collectively, these effects make curcumin attractive both as a primary chemopreventive agent in
women at risk for breast cancer and an adjuvant treatment option in those who have already
developed the disease.20,21
Curcumin also synergizes with standard chemotherapy drugs, helping to boost their efficacy and potentially reduce the dose of
toxic chemotherapy products, minimizing needless harm and suffering for cancer patients.45,47-49 Curcumin increases colon
cancer cell response to radiation.56
A novel feature of curcumin is its ability to bind to and activate vitamin D receptors in colon cells.57 Vitamin D is known to exert
potent anti-cancer properties.
Curcumin is equally powerful at preventing cancers in the stomach. It inhibits growth and proliferation of human gastric cancer
cells in the laboratory and is particularly effective in stopping cancers that have become resistant to multiple drug treatment.58-60
Curcumin can prevent gastric cancer cells from progressing through their growth cycle, blocking further tumor growth.60
Infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a known cause of gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric cancer.61
Curcumin blocks growth of H. pylori and reduces the rate at which stomach cells react by turning cancerous.61,62 This effect is
again related to curcumins fundamental ability to block activation of inflammatory NF-kB. 62
Curcumin has emerged as a potent cancer-preventing agent, with 240 published studies
appearing in the global scientific literature in the past year alone.
Its multimodal effects act to simultaneously counter ten discrete causative factors in
cancer development.
It intervenes at each stage in the complex sequence of events that enable cancer cells to
develop, proliferate, and metastasize.
Its multitargeted mechanisms of action have yielded compelling results in combating a
remarkably broad array of cancers, including those of the breast, uterus, cervix, prostate,
and GI tract.
A blossoming body of research reveals curcumins promise in countering cancers of the
blood, brain, lung, and bladder as well.
SUMMARY
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the US, and the risk of developing the disease
increases significantly as we age.
Curcumin has emerged as a potent cancer-preventing agent, with 240 published studies
appearing in the global scientific literature in the past year. Curcumins multimodal effects act
to simultaneously counter ten discrete causative factors in cancer development.
It intervenes at each stage in the complex sequence of events that must occur in order for a cancer to develop, progress, invade,
and ultimately metastasize to healthy tissue.
The multi-targeted mechanisms of curcumin have yielded compelling results in combating a remarkably broad array of cancers,
including those of the breast, uterus, cervix, prostate, and GI tract. A burgeoning body of research demonstrates curcumins
potential to counter cancers of the blood, brain, lung, and bladder as well.
If you have any questions on the scientific content of this article, please call a Life Extension Health Advisor at
1-866-864-3027.
References
1. Available at: http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/all.html. Accessed November 22, 2010.
2. Anand P, Sundaram C, Jhurani S, Kunnumakkara AB, Aggarwal BB.Curcumin and cancer: an old-age disease with an ageold solution. Cancer Lett. 2008 Aug 18;267(1):133-64.
3. Subramaniam D, Ramalingam S, Houchen CW, Anant S. Cancer stem cells: a novel paradigm for cancer prevention and
treatment. Mini Rev Med Chem. 2010 May;10(5):359-71.
4. Jurenka JS. Anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin, a major constituent of Curcuma longa: a review of preclinical and clinical
research. Altern Med Rev. 2009 Jun;14(2):141-53.
5. Goel A, Aggarwal BB. Curcumin, the golden spice from Indian saffron, is a chemosensitizer and radiosensitizer for tumors and
chemoprotector and radioprotector for normal organs. Nutr Cancer. 2010 Oct;62(7):919-30.
6. Murphy EA, Davis JM, McClellan JL, Gordon BT, Carmichael MD. Curcumins effect on intestinal inflammation and
tumorigenesis in the Apc(Min/+) Mouse. J Interferon Cytokine Res. 2010 Oct 15.
7. Biswas J, Sinha D, Mukherjee S, Roy S, Siddiqi M, Roy M. Curcumin protects DNA damage in a chronically arsenic-exposed
population of West Bengal. Hum Exp Toxicol. 2010 Jun;29(6):513-24.
8. Bachmeier BE, Killian P, Pfeffer U, Nerlich AG. Novel aspects for the application of Curcumin in chemoprevention of various
cancers. Front Biosci (Schol Ed). 2010 Jan 1;2:697-717.
9. Sikora E, Bielak-Zmijewska A, Mosieniak G, Piwocka K. The promise of slow down ageing may come from curcumin. Curr
Pharm Des. 2010;16(7):884-92.
10. Sajithlal GB, Chithra P, Chandrakasan G. Effect of curcumin on the advanced glycation and cross-linking of collagen in
diabetic rats. Biochem Pharmacol. 1998 Dec 15;56(12):1607-14.
11. Ravindran J, Prasad S, Aggarwal BB. Curcumin and cancer cells: how many ways can curry kill tumor cells selectively?
AAPS J. 2009 Sep;11(3):495-510.
12. Zhang J, Du Y, Wu C, et al. Curcumin promotes apoptosis in human lung adenocarcinoma cells through miR-186* signaling
pathway. Oncol Rep. 2010 Nov;24(5):1217-23.
13. Zhang J, Zhang T, Ti X, et al. Curcumin promotes apoptosis in A549/DDP multidrug-resistant human lung adenocarcinoma
cells through an miRNA signaling pathway. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2010 Aug 13;399(1):1-6.
14. Clark CA, McEachern MD, Shah SH, et al. Curcumin inhibits carcinogen and nicotine-induced mammalian target of
rapamycin pathway activation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2010 Sep 17.
15. Cheng CY, Lin YH, Su CC. Curcumin inhibits the proliferation of human hepatocellular carcinoma J5 cells by inducing
endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. Int J Mol Med. 2010 Nov;26(5):673-8.
16. Bar-Sela G, Epelbaum R, Schaffer M. Curcumin as an anti-cancer agent: review of the gap between basic and clinical
applications. Curr Med Chem. 2010;17(3):190-7.
17. Wang L, Shen Y, Song R, Sun Y, Xu J, Xu Q. An anticancer effect of curcumin mediated by down-regulating phosphatase of
regenerating liver-3 expression on highly metastatic melanoma cells. Mol Pharmacol. 2009 Dec;76(6):1238-45.
18. Al-Hujaily EM, Mohamed AG, Al-Sharif I, et al. PAC, a novel curcumin analogue, has anti-breast cancer properties with
higher efficiency on ER-negative cells. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2010 Aug 1.
19. Rowe DL, Ozbay T, ORegan RM, Nahta R. Modulation of the BRCA1 protein and induction of apoptosis in triple negative
breast cancer cell lines by the polyphenolic compound curcumin. Breast Cancer. 2009 Sep 2;3:61-75.
20. Banerjee M, Singh P, Panda D. Curcumin suppresses the dynamic instability of microtubules, activates the mitotic
checkpoint and induces apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. FEBS J. 2010 Aug;277(16):3437-48.
21. Bayet-Robert M, Kwiatkowski F, Leheurteur M, et al. Phase I dose escalation trial of docetaxel plus curcumin in patients with
advanced and metastatic breast cancer. Cancer Biol Ther. 2010 Jan;9(1):8-14.
22. Yoon MJ, Kim EH, Lim JH, Kwon TK, Choi KS. Superoxide anion and proteasomal dysfunction contribute to curcumininduced paraptosis of malignant breast cancer cells. Free Radic Biol Med. 2010 Mar 1;48(5):713-26.
23. Sun A, Lu YJ, Hu H, Shoji M, Liotta DC, Snyder JP. Curcumin analog cytotoxicity against breast cancer cells: exploitation of
a redox-dependent mechanism. Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2009 Dec 1;19(23):6627-31.
24. Quiroga A, Quiroga PL, Martinez E, Soria EA, Valentich MA. Anti-breast cancer activity of curcumin on the human oxidationresistant cells ZR-75-1 with gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase inhibition. J Exp Ther Oncol. 2010;8(3):261-6.
25. Hua WF, Fu YS, Liao YJ, et al. Curcumin induces down-regulation of EZH2 expression through the MAPK pathway in MDAMB-435 human breast cancer cells. Eur J Pharmacol. 2010 Jul 10;637(1-3):16-21.
26. Boonrao M, Yodkeeree S, Ampasavate C, Anuchapreeda S, Limtrakul P. The inhibitory effect of turmeric curcuminoids on
matrix metalloproteinase-3 secretion in human invasive breast carcinoma cells. Arch Pharm Res. 2010 Jul;33(7):989-98.
27. Ibrahim A, El-Meligy A, Fetaih H, Dessouki A, Stoica G, Barhoumi R. Effect of curcumin and Meriva on the lung metastasis
of murine mammary gland adenocarcinoma. In Vivo. 2010 Jul-Aug;24(4):401-8.
28. Kakarala M, Brenner DE, Korkaya H, et al. Targeting breast stem cells with the cancer preventive compounds curcumin and
piperine. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2010 Aug;122(3):777-85.
29. Madden K, Flowers L, Salani R, et al. Proteomics-based approach to elucidate the mechanism of antitumor effect of
curcumin in cervical cancer. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2009 Jan;80(1):9-18.
30. Prusty BK, Das BC. Constitutive activation of transcription factor AP-1 in cervical cancer and suppression of human
papillomavirus (HPV) transcription and AP-1 activity in HeLa cells by curcumin. Int J Cancer. 2005 Mar 1;113(6):951-60.
31. Yu Z, Shah DM. Curcumin down-regulates Ets-1 and Bcl-2 expression in human endometrial carcinoma HEC-1-A cells.
Gynecol Oncol. 2007 Sep;106(3):541-8.
32. Liang YJ, Hao Q, Wu YZ, Wang QL, Wang JD, Hu YL. Aromatase inhibitor letrozole in synergy with curcumin in the
inhibition of xenografted endometrial carcinoma growth. Int J Gynecol Cancer. 2009 Oct;19(7):1248-52.
33. Malik M, Norian J, McCarthy-Keith D, Britten J, Catherino WH. Why leiomyomas are called fibroids: the central role of
extracellular matrix in symptomatic women. Semin Reprod Med. 2010 May;28(3):169-79.
34. Tsuiji K, Takeda T, Li B, et al. Inhibitory effect of curcumin on uterine leiomyoma cell proliferation. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2010
Jul 30.
35. Available at www.cancer.org/cancer/prostatecancer/detailedguide/prostate-cancer-key-statistics. Accessed November 22,
2010.
36. Teiten MH, Gaascht F, Eifes S, Dicato M, Diederich M. Chemopreventive potential of curcumin in prostate cancer. Genes
Nutr. 2010 Mar;5(1):61-74.
37. Piantino CB, Salvadori FA, Ayres PP, et al. An evaluation of the anti-neoplastic activity of curcumin in prostate cancer cell
lines. Int Braz J Urol. 2009 May-Jun;35(3):354-60; discussion 61.
38. Khan N, Adhami VM, Mukhtar H. Apoptosis by dietary agents for prevention and treatment of prostate cancer. Endocr Relat
Cancer. 2010 Mar;17(1):R39-52.
39. Thangapazham RL, Shaheduzzaman S, Kim KH, et al. Androgen responsive and refractory prostate cancer cells exhibit
distinct curcumin regulated transcriptome. Cancer Biol Ther. 2008 Sep;7(9):1427-35.
40. Tsui KH, Feng TH, Lin CM, Chang PL, Juang HH. Curcumin blocks the activation of androgen and interlukin-6 on prostatespecific antigen expression in human prostatic carcinoma cells. J Androl. 2008 Nov-Dec;29(6):661-8.
41. Shi Q, Shih CC, Lee KH. Novel anti-prostate cancer curcumin analogues that enhance androgen receptor degradation
activity. Anticancer Agents Med Chem. 2009 Oct;9(8):904-12.
42. Choi HY, Lim JE, Hong JH. Curcumin interrupts the interaction between the androgen receptor and Wnt/beta-catenin
signaling pathway in LNCaP prostate cancer cells. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2010 Dec;13(4):343-9.
43. Wan SB, Yang H, Zhou Z, et al. Evaluation of curcumin acetates and amino acid conjugates as proteasome inhibitors. Int J
Mol Med. 2010 Oct;26(4):447-55.
44. Herman JG, Stadelman HL, Roselli CE. Curcumin blocks CCL2-induced adhesion, motility and invasion, in part, through
down-regulation of CCL2 expression and proteolytic activity. Int J Oncol. 2009 May;34(5):1319-27.
45. Nautiyal J, Banerjee S, Kanwar SS, et al. Curcumin enhances dasatinib-induced inhibition of growth and transformation of
colon cancer cells. Int J Cancer. 2010 Apr 19.
46. Patel VB, Misra S, Patel BB, Majumdar AP. Colorectal cancer: chemopreventive role of curcumin and resveratrol. Nutr
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to
diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care
professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of
any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise
or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem. You should not stop taking any
medication without first consulting your physician.
All Contents Copyright 1995-2011 Life Extension Foundation All rights reserved.
Copyright of Life Extension is the property of Life Extension Foundation and its content may not be copied or
emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission.
However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.