Turmeric, derived from the plant Curcuma longa, is a gold-colored spice commonly used in the Indian subcontinent, not only for health care but also for the preservation of food and as a yellow dye for textiles. Curcumin, which gives the yellow color to turmeric, was first isolated almost two centuries ago, and its structure as diferuloylmethane was determined in 1910. Since the time of Ayurveda (1900 Bc) numerous therapeutic activities have been assigned to turmeric for a wide variety of diseases and conditions, including those of the skin, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal systems, aches, pains, wounds, sprains, and liver disorders. Extensive research within the last half century has proven that most of these activities, once associated with turmeric, are due to curcumin. Curcumin has been shown to exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities and thus has a potential against various malignant diseases, diabetes, allergies, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, and other chronic illnesses. These effects are mediated through the regulation of various transcription factors, growth factors, inflammatory cytokines, protein kinases, and other enzymes. Curcumin exhibits activities similar to recently discovered tumor necrosis factor blockers (e.g., HUMIRA, REMICADE, and ENBREL), a vascular endothelial cell growth factor blocker (e.g., AVASTIN), human epidermal growth factor receptor blockers (e.g., ERBITUX, ERLOTINIB, and GEFTINIB), and a HER2 blocker (e.g., HERCEPTIN). Considering the recent scientific bandwagon that multitargeted therapy is better than monotargeted therapy for most diseases, curcumin can be considered an ideal "Spice for Life".

Curcumin: The Indian solid gold

Plants consumed by humans contain thousands of phenolic compounds. The effects of dietary polyphenols are of great current interest due to their antioxidative and possible anticarcinogenic activities. A popular belief is that dietary polyphenols are anticarcinogens because they are antioxidants, but direct evidence for this supposition is lacking. This chapter reviews the inhibition of tumorigenesis by phenolic acids and derivatives, tea and catechins, isoflavones and soy preparations, quercetin and other flavonoids, resveratrol, and lignans as well as the mechanisms involved based on studies in vivo and in vitro. Polyphenols may inhibit carcinogenesis by affecting the molecular events in the initiation, promotion, and progression stages. Isoflavones and lignans may influence tumor formation by affecting estrogen-related activities. The bioavailability of the dietary polyphenols is discussed extensively, because the tissue levels of the effective compounds determine the biological activity. Understanding the bioavailability and blood and tissue levels of polyphenols is also important in extrapolating results from studies in cell lines to animal models and humans. Epidemiological studies concerning polyphenol consumption and human cancer risk suggest the protective effects of certain food items and polyphenols, but more studies are needed for clear-cut conclusions. Perspectives on the application of dietary polyphenols for the prevention of human cancer and possible concerns on the consumption of excessive amounts of polyphenols are discussed.

Inhibition of carcinogenesis by dietary polyphenolic compounds

http://www.thehealersbible.com/uploads/1/2/9/0/12907633/biological_activities_of_curcumin.pdf

Biological activities of curcumin and its analogues (Congeners) made by man and Mother Nature.

Biological, biochemical and physical stimuli activate inflammatory leukocytes, such as macrophages, resulting in induction and synthesis of proinflammatory proteins and enzymes, together with free radicals, as innate immune responses. On the other hand, chronic and dysregulated activation of some inducible enzymes, including NADPH oxidase (NOX), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, have been shown to play pivotal roles in the development of certain inflammatory diseases such as oncogenesis. While the use of synthetic agents, especially those targeting molecules, is an attractive and reasonable approach to prevent carcinogenesis, it should be noted that traditional herbs and spices also exist along with their active constituents, which have been demonstrated to disrupt inflammatory signal transduction pathways. In this mini-review, the molecular mechanisms of activation or induction of NOX, iNOS and COX-2, as well as some food phytochemicals with marked potential to regulate those key inflammatory molecules, are highlighted. For example, 1'-acetoxychavicol acetate, which occurs in the rhizomes of the subtropical Zingiberaceae plant, has been shown to attenuate NOX-derived superoxide generation in macrophages, as well as lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide and prostaglandin E(2) production through the suppression of iNOS and COX-2 synthesis, respectively. Notably, this phytochemical has exhibited a wide range of cancer prevention activities in several rodent models of inflammation-associated carcinogenesis. Herein, the cancer preventive potentials of several food phytochemicals targeting the induction of NOX, iNOS and COX-2 are described.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ijc.23161

Targeting NOX, INOS and COX-2 in inflammatory cells: chemoprevention using food phytochemicals.

https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/liotta/files/2014/08/180.pdf

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel curcumin analogs as anti-cancer and anti-angiogenesis agents

Curcumin is a beta-diketone constituent of the spice turmeric that possesses anticarcinogenic properties in several animal models. The present studies were conducted in order to identify beta-diketones structurally-related to curcumin that would be effective dietary blocking agents toward the initiation stage of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced rat mammary carcinogenesis. Of the beta-diketone compounds initially screened for their capacity to induce quinone-reductase (QR) activity in wild-type Hepa1c1c7 cells and a mutant subclone, curcumin (diferuloylmethane) and dibenzoylmethane were most effective. However, when added to semipurified diets fed to female rats, dibenzoylmethane (1%), but not curcumin (1%), was effective in inhibiting in vivo mammary DMBA-DNA adduct formation. This inhibitory effect on mammary adduct formation was associated with a significant increase in liver activities of glutathione S-transferase, QR and 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activities. Female rats provided diets supplemented with dibenzoylmethane at 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0% for 14 days prior to dosing with DMBA exhibited a significant decrease in mammary tumor development, compared with controls. However, tumor development for animals fed diets containing 1.0% curcumin was not different from that of controls. Therefore, dibenzoylmethane, and possibly other structurally-related beta-diketones, warrant examination as breast cancer chemopreventative blocking agents.

Effect of the beta-diketones diferuloylmethane (curcumin) and dibenzoylmethane on rat mammary DNA adducts and tumors induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene.

M Iovinelli

Papers

Effect of the beta-diketones diferuloylmethane (curcumin) and dibenzoylmethane on rat mammary DNA adducts and tumors induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene.