Department of Seafood Science, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 811, Taiwan.
Department of Food Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.
Biomolecules. 2020 May 29;10(6):831. doi: 10.3390/biom10060831.
In recent decades, cancer has been one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Despite advances in understanding the molecular basis of tumorigenesis, diagnosis, and clinical therapies, the discovery and development of effective drugs is an active and vital field in cancer research. Tetrahydrocurcumin is a major curcuminoid metabolite of curcumin, naturally occurring in turmeric. The interest in tetrahydrocurcumin research is increasing because it is superior to curcumin in its solubility in water, chemical stability, bioavailability, and anti-oxidative activity. Many in vitro and in vivo studies have revealed that tetrahydrocurcumin exerts anti-cancer effects through various mechanisms, including modulation of oxidative stress, xenobiotic detoxification, inflammation, proliferation, metastasis, programmed cell death, and immunity. Despite the pharmacological similarities between tetrahydrocurcumin and curcumin, the structure of tetrahydrocurcumin determines its distinct and specific molecular mechanism, thus making it a potential candidate for the prevention and treatment of cancers. However, the utility of tetrahydrocurcumin is yet to be evaluated as only limited pharmacokinetic and oral bioavailability studies have been performed. This review summarizes research on the anti-cancer properties of tetrahydrocurcumin and describes its mechanisms of action.
在最近几十年，癌症一直是全球范围内主要的死亡原因之一。尽管在理解肿瘤发生、诊断和临床治疗的分子基础方面取得了进展，但发现和开发有效的药物仍然是癌症研究中的一个活跃而重要的领域。四氢姜黄素是姜黄素的主要姜黄素代谢物，天然存在于姜黄中。由于其在水中的溶解度、化学稳定性、生物利用度和抗氧化活性优于姜黄素，因此人们对四氢姜黄素的研究兴趣日益增加。许多体外和体内研究表明，四氢姜黄素通过多种机制发挥抗癌作用，包括调节氧化应激、外源性解毒、炎症、增殖、转移、程序性细胞死亡和免疫。尽管四氢姜黄素和姜黄素具有药理学相似性，但四氢姜黄素的结构决定了其独特而特定的分子机制，因此使其成为预防和治疗癌症的潜在候选药物。然而，由于仅进行了有限的药代动力学和口服生物利用度研究，因此四氢姜黄素的实用性尚未得到评估。本文综述了四氢姜黄素的抗癌特性及其作用机制的研究进展。
