curcumin |
CONTENTS Description Technical Information Medicinal Properties Alzheimer's Disease Arthritis Cancer (in general) Cancer (colon/bladder) Cancer (lung) Cancer (ovary/breast) Diabetes Melanoma |
DescriptionCurcumin is a yellow-orange polyphenol. In its usual form it is a dry yellow powder that is oil-soluble. Curcumin is without flavor and aroma. Its strong anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory characteristics are its most obvious medicinal properties. Curcumin is derived from the root of the Curcuma Longa plant first by drying and powdering, to create the spice called Turmeric, then by a solvent extraction. The resulting powder is 18 times stronger in the essential ingredients than is the common spice. Research on Curcumin has been focused on Alzheimer's, Arthritis, Cancer and Diabetes. In laboratory experiments on rodents, Curcumin can break up the Alzheimer's amyloid-beta polymers, suppress arthritic inflammation, induce apoptosis in some cancer types and improve insulin sensitivity. Human trials of Curcumin for some illnesses are underway. |
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Technical Information:
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Medicinal Properties:
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Quotations from Research Articles on CurcuminAlzheimer's Disease | |
Article 1: "Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves amyloid (Abeta) accumulation, oxidative damage and inflammation ... The phenolic yellow curry pigment curcumin has potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities and can suppress oxidative damage, inflammation, cognitive deficits, and amyloid accumulation. ... When fed to aged Tg2576 mice with advanced amyloid accumulation, curcumin labeled plaques and reduced amyloid levels and plaque burden. Hence, curcumin directly binds small ss-amyloid species to block aggregation and fibril formation in vitro and in vivo. These data suggest that low dose curcumin effectively disaggregates Ass as well as prevents fibril and oligomer formation, supporting the rationale for curcumin's use in clinical trials preventing or treating AD."
Article 2: "... we examined the effects of curcumin (Cur) and rosmarinic acid (RA) on the formation, extension, and destabilization of fAbeta(1-40) and fAbeta(1-42) at pH 7.5 at 37 degrees C in vitro. ... Cur and RA dose-dependently inhibited fAbeta formation from Abeta(1-40) and Abeta(1-42), as well as their extension. In addition, they dose-dependently destabilized preformed fAbetas. ... Although the mechanism by which Cur and RA inhibit fAbeta formation from Abeta and destabilize preformed fAbeta in vitro remains unclear, they could be a key molecule for the development of therapeutics for AD." | |
Arthritis |
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Article 1: "OBJECTIVE: Curcumin and quercetin are antioxidant molecules with anti-proliferative, anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activities. The objective of this study was to investigate the inhibitory activity of these agents using four assays of inflammatory aspects of arthritis... RESULTS: Both agents inhibited neutrophil activation, synoviocyte proliferation and angiogenesis. Curcumin strongly inhibited collagenase and stromelysin expression at micromolar concentrations whereas quercetin had no effect in this assay. CONCLUSION: These studies suggest that curcumin and to a lesser extent quercetin may offer therapeutic potential for the treatment of crystal-induced arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis."
Article 2: "The cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) has recently emerged as a crucial factor in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). ... Curcumin and caffeic acid were found to be the most potent inhibitors, exhibiting IC(50) values in the submicromolar range in the ketonase assay. ... Our results reveal MIF as a possible target for the herbal anti-rheumatic agents." |
Cancer (general) | |
Article 1: "Curcumin, a natural product isolated from the spice turmeric, has been shown to exhibit a wide range of pharmacological activities including certain anti-cancer properties. It has been specifically shown to be an effective inhibitor of angiogenesis both in vitro and in vivo."
Article 2: " ... Curcumin, one of the most studied chemopreventive agents, is a natural compound extracted from Curcuma longa L. that allows suppression, retardation or inversion of carcinogenesis. Curcumin is also described as an anti-tumoral, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory agent capable of inducing apoptosis in numerous cellular systems. ..." | |
Cancer (colon and bladder) | |
Article 1: "The effects of curcumin on the growth of human colon cancer cell lines, HT-29 and WiDr cells were examined ... RESULTS: Curcumin inhibited the growth of HT-29 and WiDr cells in a dose-dependent fashion." Korean J Gastroenterol. 2005 Apr;45(4):277-84. [The inhibitory effect of curcumin on the growth of human colon cancer cells (HT-29, WiDr) in vitro] [Article in Korean] Kim KH, Park HY, Nam JH, Park JE, Kim JY, Park MI, Chung KO, Park KY, Koo JY. Department of Internal Medicine, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan 602-702, Korea. Article 2: "OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of curcumin on bladder cancer cell line EJ in vitro. ... CONCLUSIONS: Curcumin can suppress the growth, induce apoptosis of bladder cancer EJ cell in vitro. Its mechanism is related with down-regulations of the expressions of NF-kappaB and Cyclin D1. Curcumin has great potential for the treatment of bladder cancer." | |
Cancer (lung) | |
Article 1: "OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of anti-tumor effects of curcumin on human lung cancer cell (A549). ... CONCLUSION: Curcumin can interfere with cell growth cycle of A549 cell and suppress cell growth. The suppression effect is concentration dependent. ..." |
Cancer (ovary/breast) | |
Article 1: "OBJECTIVE: To study the suppressive effects of curcumin on breast carcinoma cells and the mechanism. ... RESULTS: Curcumin inhibits the proliferation in both estrogen receptor (ER) positive MCF-7 cells and ER negative MDA-MB-231 cells. ... CONCLUSION: Curcumin exerts multiple suppressive effects on breast carcinoma cells; it's mechanism of chemoprevention is pleiotropic." Article 2: "To study the growth-inhibitory effects of curcumin on human ovary cancer A2780 cells in vitro and its molecular mechanisms, ... After being treated by various concentrations of Curcumin, the growth of cancer ... was inhibited significantly. Some cancer cells presented characteristic morphological changes of apoptosis. ... It was concluded that Curcumin could significantly inhibit the growth of ovary cancer cells. The induction of apoptosis by down-regulating the expression of bcl-2 and p53 was probably one of its molecular mechanisms." |
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Diabetes | |
Article 1: "... We tested the hypothesis that the plant polyphenolic compound curcumin, which is known to exert potent antiinflammatory and antioxidant effects, would ameliorate diabetes and inflammation in murine models of insulin-resistant obesity. We found that Curcumin admixture ameliorated diabetes in high-fat diet-induced obese and leptin-deficient ob/ob male C57BL/6J mice as determined by glucose and insulin tolerance testing and hemoglobin A1c percentages. Curcumin treatment also significantly reduced macrophage infiltration of white adipose tissue, increased adipose tissue adiponectin production, and decreased hepatic nuclear factor-kappaB activity, hepatomegaly, and markers of hepatic inflammation. We therefore conclude that orally ingested curcumin reverses many of the inflammatory and metabolic derangements associated with obesity and improves glycemic control in mouse models of type 2 diabetes. ..." |
Melanoma | |
Article 1: "Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) inhibits tumour cell growth by inducing apoptosis in many tumour types, including melanoma, via complex and ill-defined pathways. ... Curcumin induced melanoma cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, ... Our results demonstrate that Curcumin arrested cell growth at the G(2)/M phase and induced apoptosis in human melanoma cells by inhibiting NFkappaB activation and thus depletion of endogenous nitric oxide. Therefore, Curcumin should be considered further as a potential therapy for patients with melanoma." | |
Old Herbs - New Science | ||
Ananain and Comosain (from Pineapple stem) Cinnamon Extract Curcuma Longa Curcumenol Ficain (from Fig Trees) Licorice Root Extract Petty Spurge and Euphorbia Peplus |
Rosmarinic Acid (from Rosemary, Sage) Spanish Sage Turmeric Extract Vineatrol (from Grapevine shoots) Withania Somnifera (Ashwagandha) Withanolide (from Ashwagandha) Zerumbone (from Ginger) |
This website acknowledges Pubmed (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) as source for medical research abstracts. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Pregnant or lactating women, diabetics, hypoglycemics, and people with known medical conditions and/or taking medicines should consult with a licensed physician and/or pharmacist prior to taking dietary supplements. | |
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