Turmeric

[Guest guest]

Jagannath Chatterjee <jagchat01

Turmeric has anti-cancer properties, says

research.

 

Source:John Wiley & Sons,

Inc.Date:2005-07-11URL:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/07/050711013142\

..htm

 

Ingredient That Makes Curry Yellow Effective Against

Melanoma Cells

---

 

Curcumin, the yellow pigment found in the spice

turmeric and a key

ingredient in yellow curry inhibits melanoma cell

growth and stimulates

tumor cell death, according to a new study. Published

in the August 15,

2005 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the

American Cancer

Society, the study also elucidates curcumin's

intracellular mechanisms of

action in this type of tumor.

 

As well as showing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory

effects, curcumin

has been shown to have anti-cancer properties. In

other tumors, it has

been demonstrated to inhibit tumor growth and

stimulate apoptosis, an

intracellular mechanism for cells of all types to

" kill " themselves. To

evaluate the compound's efficacy in melanoma,

researchers led by

Razelle Kurzrock, M.D. of the University of Texas M.

D. Anderson Cancer

Center in Houston treated three melanoma cell lines

with curcumin at

different doses and for different duration.

 

Results show that curcumin treatment decreased cell

viability in all

three cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover,

curcumin induced

apoptosis in tumor cells at high concentrations for

short periods of

time and low concentrations for long periods of

time--a new finding in the

study of curcumin.

 

Curcumin was found to suppress two specific proteins

normally part of

an intracellular pathway that prevents apoptosis when

stimulated.

Curcumin partially inhibited NF-êB and strongly

inhibited its upstream

stimulator and another independent inhibitor of

apoptosis, IKK. However, it

did not suppress two other signaling pathways

associated with melanomas

and tumor proliferation, B-Raf/MEK/ERK and Akt

pathways.

 

" Based on our studies, we conclude the curcumin is a

potent suppressor

of cell viability and inducer of apoptosis in melanoma

cell lines, "

said the authors, adding " Future investigation to

determine the effects of

curcumin in animal models of melanoma and clinical

trials are planned. "

 

###

 

Article: " Curcumin-Induced Antiproliferative and

Proapoptotic Effects

in Melanoma Cells Are Associated with Suppression of

IkB Kinase and

Nuclear Factor kB Activity and Are Independent of the

B-Raf/Mitogen-Activated/Extracellular Signal-Regulated

Protein Kinase Pathway and the Akt

Pathway, " Doris R. Siwak, Shishir Shishodia, Bharat B.

Aggarwal, Razelle

Kurzrock, CANCER; Published Online: July 11, 2005

(DOI:

10.1002/cncr.21216); Print Issue August 15,

2005.