CAM: Curcumin

Classified as:
Phytochemical, Polyphenol

Also Called:
Diferuloylmethane

Structure of Curcumin

Intro and Background
Curcumin comes from the turmeric plant (Curcuma longa). It is probably most commonly seen as the yellow coloring agent in curry- a traditional spice used in Southeast Asian cuisine and medicine. ⁽¹⁾

This agent has been used for centuries by different cultures in Asia. For example, Indian medicinal practices have used curcumin to treat anorexia, cough, rheumatism, and other diseases. ⁽²⁾ Hindu medicine men still use curcumin to treat sprains and swelling. ⁽²⁾ Traditional Chinese medicine uses this same compound to treat diseases that are accompanied by abdominal pain. ⁽²⁾ Western medicine has recently recognized that curcumin may have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-venom, anti-HIV activity, as well as the ability to combat Alzheimer's disease. ^{(2) (3)}

In terms of cancer fighting ability, curcumin may induce apoptosis while reducing angiogenesis, metastatsis, proliferation and transformation by preventing the action of certain enzymes (IKBα Kinase and Akt). ⁽⁴⁾

Learn MORE about angiogenesis, apoptosis, metastasis and proliferation

Scientific Research
Curcumin has been found to slow tumor cell development ⁽⁵⁾ and angiogenic processes ⁽⁶⁾ in vitro and in rodent experiments. Also, curcumin seems to induce apoptosis in in vitro cancer cells without hurting healthy ones. ⁽⁷⁾ However, curcumin has run into several problems in clinical trials because it seems to have poor bioavailability (i.e. it has difficulty working and staying inside the human body). ⁽⁸⁾ Researchers are currently working on making the compound more stable by means of nanotechnology and chemical approaches. ⁽⁸⁾ Some of the most recent research from 2007 shows that curcumin can increase tumor growth in rats who are fed curcumin. ⁽⁹⁾ Because of these conflicting reports, more research is needed to determine if curcumin is indeed a cancer fighting agent.

Currently, there are several clinical trials underway that are investigating curcumin as a cancer fighting agent (NCI, Rambam Health Care Campus, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, Hadassah Medical Organization). ⁽¹⁰⁾ For information about ongoing clinical trials involving curcumin, please visit our section on Finding Clinical Trials

US Food and Drug Administration Approval
There is not enough evidence to support that curcumin is effective in the fight against cancer and it has not been approved by the FDA for cancer treatment. ⁽¹¹⁾

*It is important to keep in mind that many cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and radiation, work by generating free radicals in order to destroy cancer cells. If a cancer patient takes antioxidants while undergoing radiation or chemotherapy treatment, it is possible that these compounds may protect tumor cells from the desired free radicals. Doctors may recommend that patients undergoing these treatments avoid antioxidants so that the treatment is as effective as possible. ⁽¹²⁾

1. Duvoix A. et al. Chemopreventive and therapeutic effects of curcumin. Cancer Letters 223 (2005): 181-190 [PUBMED]
2. Araujo CAC, Leon LL. Biological activities of Curcuma longa L. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. (2001) 96(5): 723-728 [PUBMED]
3. Garcia-Alloza M, Borrelli LA, Rozkalne A, Hyman BT, Bacskai BJ. Curcumin labels amyloid pathology in vivo, disrupts existing plaques, and partially restores distorted neurites in an Alzheimer mouse model. J Neurochem. (2007) Apr 30 [PUBMED]
4. Aggarwal S, Ichikawa H, Takada Y, Sandur SK, Shishodia S, Aggarwal BB. Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) down-regulates expression of cell proliferation and antiapoptotic and metastatic gene products through suppression of IkappaBalpha kinase and Akt activation. Mol Pharmacol. (2006) 69(1): 195-206 [PUBMED]
5. T. Devasenam K.N. Rajasekaran, G. Gunasekaran, P. Viswwanathan, V.P. Menon,  Anti Carcinogenic effect of bis-1,7-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-hepta-1,6-diene-3,5-dione a curcumin analog on DMH-induced colon cancer model. Pharmacol. Res. 27 (2003) 133-140 [PUBMED]
6. Lin Y.G., Kunnumakkara A., et al. Curcumin Inhibits Tumor Growth and Angiogenesis in Ovarian Carcinoma by targeting the Nuclear Factor-ºB Pathway. Clin Cancer Res 2007 13: 3423-3430 [PUBMED]
7. E. Tourkina, P. Gooz, J.C. Oats, A. Ludwicka-Bradley, R.M. Silver, S. Hoffman, Curcumin-induced apoptosis in scleroderma lung fibroblasts: role of protein kinase cepsilon. American Journal of respiratory Cellular Molecular Biology 31(2004): 28-35 [PUBMED]
8. Polymeric nanoparticle-encapsulated curcumin (nanocurcumin): a novel strategy for human cancer therapy. Journal of Nanobiotechnology. (2007) 5: 3 [PUBMED]
9. Kim SJ, Hellerstein MK. Pharmacological doses of dietary curcumin increase colon epithelial cell proliferation in vivo in rats. Phytother Res. (2007) Jun 20 [PUBMED]
10. National Library of Medicine. (2007). ClinicalTrials.gov Retrieved June 6, 2007 from the National Institutes of Health Web Site: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/search;jsessionid=C04DF10415809DE91678716AA35115A4?term=curcumin%2C+cancer&submit=Search
11. US Food and Drug Adminstration website. Accessed 9/10/2010 [http://www.fda.gov/]
12. Borek C. Dietary antioxidants and human cancer. Integr Cancer Ther (2004). 3: 333-341. [PUBMED]