Abstract
Cancer is the most dreadful disease worldwide in terms of morbidity and mortality. The exact cause of cancer development and progression is not fully known. But it is thought that cancer occurs due to the structural and functional changes in the genes. The current approach to cancer treatment based on allopathic is expensive, exhibits side effects; and may also alter the normal functioning of genes. Thus, a safe and effective mode of treatment is needed to control the cancer development and progression. Some medicinal plants provide a safe, effective and affordable remedy to control the progression of malignant cells. The importance of medicinal plants and their constituents has been documented in Ayurveda, Unani medicine, and various religious books. Curcumin, a vital constituent of the spice turmeric, is an alternative approach in the prevention of cancer. Earlier studies have shown the effect of curcumin as an antioxidant, antibacterial, antitumor and it also has a noteworthy role in the control of different diseases. In this review, we summarize the understanding of chemopreventive effects of curcumin in the prevention of cancer via the regulation of various cell signaling and genetic pathways.
Highlights
Population growth and aging may contribute to a dramatic increase in the numbers of cancer cases
Several findings showed that curcumin suppresses the expression of a variety of NF-κB regulated gene products involved in cancer development and progression such as cyclin D1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), COX-2, c-myc, Bcl-2, ICAM-1, and Matrix Metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9) [110, 113,114,115]
A study of curcumin effects on colon cancer cells confirmed that growth inhibition and stimulation of the transactivating activity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor c (PPAR-c), which appears to mediate the suppression of gene expression of Activation of tumor suppressor gene (P53 and PTEN)
Summary
Population growth and aging may contribute to a dramatic increase in the numbers of cancer cases. Several medicinal plants and their constituents are in use to manage the development and progression of various diseases and have been found effective, safe, and less expensive. Various parts of the world are using different types of local plants or products like turmeric in Indian cuisine and oregano in Italy, olive in Spain, and Ajwa dates in Saudi Arabia in the treatment and prevention of various diseases. Curcumin is lipophilic in nature which shows low solubility and stability in aqueous solution It is extensively used in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Chinese medicine for the management of various diseases such as wound, inflammation, and cancer (Figure 1) and used in curries and dishes especially in spicy dishes in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other countries of Asia. Important reviews based on curcumin provide an overview of the history, chemistry, analogs, and mechanism of action of curcumin [14] and another study discussed in detail the therapeutic implications of curcumin in patients with pancreatic cancer [15]
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