Radiosensitization and Radioprotection by Curcumin in Glioblastoma and Other Cancers.

Vasiliki Zoi,Pericles Tsekeris,Vasiliki Galani,Athanasios P Kyritsis,George A Alexiou

doi:10.3390/biomedicines10020312

Abstract

Radiation therapy plays an important role in almost every cancer treatment. However, radiation toxicity to normal tissues, mainly due to the generation of reactive free radicals, has limited the efficacy of radiotherapy in clinical practice. Curcumin has been reported to possess significant antitumor properties. Although curcumin can sensitize cancer cells to irradiation, healthy cells are much less sensitive to this effect, and thus, curcumin is thought to be a potent, yet safe anti-cancer agent. In this review, a summary of the role of curcumin as both a radiosensitizer and radioprotector has been presented, based on the most recent data from the experimental and clinical evaluation of curcumin in different cancer cell lines, animal models, and human patients.

Highlights

Radiation therapy (RT) plays a pivotal role in cancer treatment, along with surgery and chemotherapy
The results showed that in patients who were under chemotherapy and head and neck radiotherapy, curcumin administration managed to significantly decrease the Oral mucositis (OM) severity [72]
A substantial volume of scientific evidence exists that curcumin acts as both a radiosensitizer to tumors and radioprotector to normal cells

Summary

Introduction

Radiation therapy (RT) plays a pivotal role in cancer treatment, along with surgery and chemotherapy. Radiotherapy induces DNA damage either directly by ionization or indirectly through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) [1] It has been used for over 100 years for the treatment of solid tumors, including cancers of the skin, breast, prostate, and brain, and has been used to treat leukemia, gliomas, and lymphoma. Curcumin (Figure 1) ( known as diferuloylmethane) is extracted from the turmeric various conditions, such as alopecia, infections, andattributed atopic dermatitis [1 plant and skin possesses several health benefits, mostskin of which have been to its cancer treatment, curcumin been studied alone and/or combination anti-inflammatory properties [11].has. Curcumin h to healthy cells are sensitive to this effect and curcumin is found to apossess radioprotective properties, it can lessenhas inflammatory toxic considered potent, yet safe anti-cancer agent [16,17,18].

Radiosensitization by Curcumin

Curcumin as damage a Radiosensitizer indevelopment

Radioprotection by Curcumin

Findings

Conclusions and Future Perspectives