Cytokine Research Laboratory, Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77054, TX, USA.
Molecules. 2014 Dec 24;20(1):185-205. doi: 10.3390/molecules20010185.
Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a golden pigment from turmeric, has been linked with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiviral, antibacterial, and antidiabetic properties. Most of the these activities have been assigned to methoxy, hydroxyl, α,β-unsaturated carbonyl moiety or to diketone groups present in curcumin. One of the major metabolites of curcumin is tetrahydrocurcumin (THC), which lacks α,β-unsaturated carbonyl moiety and is white in color. Whether THC is superior to curcumin on a molecular level is unclear and thus is the focus of this review. Various studies suggest that curcumin is a more potent antioxidant than THC; curcumin (but not THC) can bind and inhibit numerous targets including DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferase-1, heme oxygenase-1, Nrf2, β-catenin, cyclooxygenase-2, NF-kappaB, inducible nitric oxide synthase, nitric oxide, amyloid plaques, reactive oxygen species, vascular endothelial growth factor, cyclin D1, glutathione, P300/CBP, 5-lipoxygenase, cytosolic phospholipase A2, prostaglandin E2, inhibitor of NF-kappaB kinase-1, -2, P38MAPK, p-Tau, tumor necrosis factor-α, forkhead box O3a, CRAC; curcumin can inhibit tumor cell growth and suppress cellular entry of viruses such as influenza A virus and hepatitis C virus much more effectively than THC; curcumin affects membrane mobility; and curcumin is also more effective than THC in suppressing phorbol-ester-induced tumor promotion. Other studies, however, suggest that THC is superior to curcumin for induction of GSH peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase, NADPH: quinone reductase, and quenching of free radicals. Most studies have indicated that THC exhibits higher antioxidant activity, but curcumin exhibits both pro-oxidant and antioxidant properties.
姜黄素（二芳基甲烷）是姜黄中的一种金黄色色素，具有抗氧化、抗炎、抗癌、抗病毒、抗菌和抗糖尿病作用。这些活性中的大多数归因于姜黄素中的甲氧基、羟基、α,β-不饱和羰基部分或二酮基团。姜黄素的主要代谢物之一是四氢姜黄素（THC），它缺乏α,β-不饱和羰基部分，呈白色。THC 在分子水平上是否优于姜黄素尚不清楚，因此这是本综述的重点。各种研究表明，姜黄素是一种比 THC 更有效的抗氧化剂；姜黄素（而非 THC）可以结合并抑制许多靶标，包括 DNA（胞嘧啶-5）-甲基转移酶-1、血红素加氧酶-1、Nrf2、β-连环蛋白、环氧化酶-2、NF-κB、诱导型一氧化氮合酶、一氧化氮、淀粉样斑块、活性氧、血管内皮生长因子、细胞周期蛋白 D1、谷胱甘肽、P300/CBP、5-脂氧合酶、细胞质磷脂酶 A2、前列腺素 E2、NF-κB 激酶-1、-2、P38MAPK、p-Tau、肿瘤坏死因子-α、叉头框 O3a、CRAC；姜黄素可以更有效地抑制肿瘤细胞生长并抑制流感 A 病毒和丙型肝炎病毒等病毒进入细胞；姜黄素影响膜流动性；并且姜黄素在抑制佛波醇酯诱导的肿瘤促进方面也比 THC 更有效。然而，其他研究表明，THC 在诱导 GSH 过氧化物酶、谷胱甘肽-S-转移酶、NADPH：醌还原酶和淬灭自由基方面优于姜黄素。大多数研究表明 THC 具有更高的抗氧化活性，但姜黄素具有促氧化剂和抗氧化剂的双重特性。
