Thangapazham Rajesh L, Sharma Anuj, Maheshwari Radha K
Department of Pathology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
AAPS J. 2006 Jul 7;8(3):E443-9. doi: 10.1208/aapsj080352.
Carcinogenesis encompasses 3 closely associated stages: initiation, progression, and promotion. Phytochemicals are nonnutritive components of plants that are currently being studied in chemoprevention of various diseases for their pleiotropic effects and nontoxicity. Cancer chemoprevention involves the use of either natural or synthetic chemicals to prevent the initiation, promotion, or progression of cancer. Curcumin is the active constituent of turmeric, which is widely used as a spice in Indian cooking. It has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor properties. Curcumin has also been shown to be beneficial in all 3 stages of carcinogenesis. Much of its beneficial effect is found to be due to its inhibition of the transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) and subsequent inhibition of proinflammatory pathways. This review summarizes the inhibition of NF-kappaB by curcumin and describes the recently identified molecular targets of curcumin. It is hoped that continued research will lead to development of curcumin as an anticancer agent.
致癌作用包括3个紧密相关的阶段：启动、进展和促进。植物化学物质是植物的非营养成分，目前因其多效性作用和无毒性而被用于多种疾病的化学预防研究。癌症化学预防涉及使用天然或合成化学物质来预防癌症的启动、促进或进展。姜黄素是姜黄的活性成分，姜黄在印度烹饪中广泛用作香料。已证明它具有抗炎、抗氧化和抗肿瘤特性。姜黄素在致癌作用的所有3个阶段也都显示出有益作用。发现其许多有益作用归因于它对转录因子核因子κB（NF-κB）的抑制以及随后对促炎途径的抑制。本综述总结了姜黄素对NF-κB的抑制作用，并描述了姜黄素最近确定的分子靶点。希望持续的研究将导致姜黄素作为一种抗癌剂的开发。
