Curcumin is a polyphenolic compound found in a spice plant called turmeric. Because it is an antioxidant, curcumin may be able to decrease inflammation throughout the body. Scientists believe that inflammation is a part of the sequence of biological events that leads to cancer. Therefore, it's possible that curcumin could be useful as a cancer therapeutic or preventive. Brain cancer studies with animals and with various types of brain cancer cell cultures have indicated a potential role for curcumin in combating this type of cancer.
Curcumin and Mouse Melanoma
In an article in the February 2009 issue of "Brain Research," scientists disclosed that a water-soluble formulation of curcumin prevented the formation of brain tumors in mice and destroyed brain tumor cells. The experiment involved the injection of mouse melanoma cells into the mouse brain followed by the injection of the curcumin solution. The researchers believe that the water solution of curcumin penetrates the brain and activates enzymes that cause the death of the cancer cells.
Medulloblastoma
The most frequently occurring form of brain cancer in children is called medulloblastoma. Children between the ages of 3 and 8 are particularly affected by this highly malignant cancer that starts in an area at the base of the brain called the cerebellum. In the April 18, 2011, issue of "BMC Cancer," researchers reported the use of a medulloblastoma mouse model to explore the effectiveness of curcumin against this cancer. The scientists found that in cell culture experiments, curcumin induced apoptosis, meaning cell death, in medulloblastoma cells. When human medulloblastoma cells were injected into the mice, curcumin decreased the size of the tumors formed and markedly increased the survival time of the mice.
Gliomas
Primary brain tumors are those that start in the brain. Glioma is the most common form of primary brain tumor, and it arises in non-neural brain cells called glial cells. In an article published in the August 2010 issue of "Molecular Nutrition and Food Research," researchers discussed the effects of curcumin on the growth of human glioma cells injected into hairless mice lacking both a thymus gland and a type of white blood cell called T-cells. Since they lack T-cells, the mice do not reject the human glioma cells. The scientists found that curcumin slowed tumor growth rate, increased mouse survival time and prevented the tumors from growing new nutrient-supplying blood vessels.
Curcumin as Adjunct Therapy
Patients with malignant gliomas may not have a good chance for recovery because gliomas are resistant to chemotherapy drugs and radiation. Writing in the July 2007 issue of the "Journal of Neurochemistry," scientists state that curcumin can lower the resistance of malignant glioma cells to radiation and to certain chemotherapy drugs. The researchers believe that curcumin could lower resistance because it reduced the expression of proteins that inhibit apoptosis of the glioma cells. They see curcumin as a potential adjunct to the treatment of brain cancer with radiation and chemotherapy.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Can Curcumin Slow Cancer Growth?; Timothy Moynihan; December 2009
- "Brain Research"; Curcumin Blocks Brain Tumor Formation; Sudarshana Purkayastha, et al.; February 2009
- "BMC Cancer"; Curcumin-Induced HDAC Inhibition and Attenuation of Medulloblastoma Growth In Vitro and In Vivo; Seung Joon Lee, et al.; April 2011
- "Molecular Nutrition and Food Research"; Curcumin Inhibits Tumor Growth and Angiogenesis in Glioblastoma Xenografts; Marie-Claude Perry, et al.; August 2010
- "Journal of Neurochemistry"; Curcumin Suppresses Growth and Chemresistance of Human Glioblastoma Cells Via AP-1 and NFkappaB Transcription Factors; Krishnan M. Dhandapani, et al.; July 2007
