Turmeric Spices the Fight Against Colon Cancer

According to a new study, curcumin--the active ingredient in turmeric, a spice used in curry--amplifies the therapeutic activity of highly toxic anti-inflammatory drugs used to fight colon cancer.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU; Israel) discovered that curcumin increases the anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects of Celecoxib--a popular anti-inflammatory drug commonly used to treat arthritis--which also inhibits proliferation of colon cancer in laboratory settings. But at the same that curcumin increases the anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects of Celecoxib, it also reduces its dose, thus reducing its toxic side-effects, including the risk rate of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke.

Previous in vitro and in vivo experiments conducted by the researchers showed that curcumin inhibits cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), an enzyme believed to cause inflammation. Curcumin also neutralizes oxygen free radicals, which are believed to play an important role in carcinogenesis. These effects may be the basis for drug treatment of both inflammation and cancer through the combination of curcumin and Celecoxib. In additions, it may also help return previously shelved potent anticancer drugs--taken out of use due to high toxicity--back to the market under lower dosage indications. The study was published in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology.

"We would like to use this treatment for patients with all types of cancers,” said study coauthor Professor Nadir Arber, MD, of the TAU integrated cancer prevention center. "It has the promise of being an important life-extending therapy, particularly for noncurable pancreatic cancer, suggested by the very promising results we achieved for 20 pancreatic cancer patients.”

Curcumin is the principal curcuminoid of the popular Indian spice turmeric, which is a member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae). The other two curcuminoids are desmethoxycurcumin and bis-desmethoxycurcumin; the curcuminoids are polyphenols and are responsible for the yellow color of turmeric. Its potential anticancer effects stem from its ability to induce apoptosis in cancer cells without cytotoxic effects on healthy cells. Curcumin can interfere with the activity of the transcription factor NF-κB, which has been linked to a number of inflammatory diseases.

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