Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a polyphenol natural product of the plant Curcuma longa, is undergoing early clinical trials as a novel anticancer agent. However, the anticancer mechanism of curcumin remains to be elucidated. Recently, we have shown that curcumin inhibits phosphorylation of p70 S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) binding protein 1 (4E-BP1), two downstre...

Dear Editor, Curcumin is a yellow–orange pigment obtained from the plant Curcuma longa. The powdered rhizome of this plant, called turmeric, is a common ingredient in curry powders and has a long history of use in traditional Asian medicine for a wide variety of disorders. In the last decade a large number of reports have been published on the beneficial effects of curcumin, and it has repeated...

The clinical benefits of curcumin as a single agent were demonstrated in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer in a phase 2 study despite pharmacokinetic analysis showing a much lower plasma concentration of curcumin in humans than in vitro. The diverse and broad biological activities of curcumin are mediated through direct interaction of curcumin with target proteins as well as epigenetic m...

To increase the oral bioavailability of curcumin and genistein, we fabricated nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), and the impact of these carriers on bioaccessibility of curcumin and genistein was studied. Entrapment efficiency was more than 75% for curcumin and/or genistein-loaded NLCs. Solubility of curcumin and/or genistein in simulated intestinal medium (SIM) was >75% after encapsulating ...

A novel bio nanocomposite of Carboxymethyl Starch (CMS)-Chitosan (CS)-Montmorillonite (MMT) was developed for Curcumin delivery. To improve Curcumin entrapment into Cs-CMS-MMT, different ratios of Chitosan (Cs), Carboxymethyl Starch (CMS) and MMT were used. Particle size and Curcumin entrapment efficiency (EE) were highly affected by different formulation variables. Polysaccharide concentration...

Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a phenolic compound from the plant Curcuma longa (Linn.) has been shown to exhibit antitumor activity and apoptosis in many human cancer cell lines including that of lung and liver cancer. In this study, curcumin was evaluated in BALB/c mice for its ability to inhibit pulmonary and liver adenoma formation and growth after they were orally treated with N-bis(2-hydro...

There is substantial in-vitro data indicating that curcumin has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-amyloid activity. In addition, studies in animal models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) indicate a direct effect of curcumin in decreasing the amyloid pathology of AD. As the widespread use of curcumin as a food additive and relatively small short-term studies in humans suggest safety, curcumin ...

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using photosensitizer can induce diverse cellular responses, including apoptosis. Recently, it has been reported that PDT using methylaminolaevulinate may be effective in basal cell carcinoma. However, it is largely unknown whether PDT using a natural product such as curcumin can induce apoptosis in skin cancer. In this study, to confirm the photodynamic effect of cur...

Autoimmune inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), have been thought to be mediated by the cytokine interleukin 17 (IL-17). Curcumin (1,7-Bis (4-hydroxy-3methoxyphenyl)-1,6 heptadiene3, 5-di-one) is an active ingredient derived from rhizomes of Curcuma longa Linn., displaying remarkable anti-inflammatory. Curcumin has been reported to have the suppressive effect on the develop...

Curcumin, a yellow polyphenol derived from the turmeric Curcuma longa, has been associated with a diverse therapeutic potential including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, and anticancer properties. However, the poor aqueous solubility and low bioavailability of curcumin have limited its potential when administrated orally. In this study, curcumin was encapsulated in a series of novel ...