Chinese medicine turmeric, is a dried rhizome of turmeric of turmeric plants in the gingeraceae family, which has the effect of invigorating blood and relieving pain through menstruation.
Curcumin is a substance that can be extracted from turmeric and is also a type of curcumin that can be used as an herbal supplement, cosmetic ingredient, food seasoning and food coloring.
But turmeric in addition to these "functions", in fact, by the National Cancer Institute listed as the third generation of cancer prevention drugs, is a very "future" thing.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="135" >, what is the effect of curcumin? </h1>
1) Inhibits the proliferation of tumor cells
Curcumin can inhibit the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway (a pathway involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and glucose transport regulation) by regulating the expression of microRNAs, thereby exerting its role in inhibiting cancer cells.
In addition, it can also indirectly inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells by inhibiting the expression of Ras protein (expression product of proto-oncogene) and cyclin D1 (a certain protein involved in cell division).
2) Induce tumor cell death
Curcumin can indirectly induce apoptosis by inhibiting the tyrosine protein kinase signaling pathway, reducing glucose uptake and lactate production in cancer cells, upregulating death receptors, and down-regulating anti-apoptotic genes.
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3) Inhibit the invasion and metastasis of tumor cells
Curcumin can inhibit the metastasis of cancer cells by reducing matrix metalloproteinase , which is activated in large quantities to destroy the extracellular matrix and promote tumor cell metastasis.
4) Inhibit tumor angiogenesis
Studies have shown that curcumin can inhibit the production of tumor blood vessels by downregulating angiogenesis mediators such as vascular endothelial growth factor.
5) Inhibit tumor stem cells
"Tumor stem cells" are thought to be subpopulations of tumor cells with stem cell (self-replication, proliferation) abilities present in tumor tissue, and curcumin has shown its ability to inhibit tumor stem cells' self-replication in studies.
6) Enhance radiotherapy and chemotherapy sensitivity
Curcumin can inhibit the expression of P-glycoprotein (a common molecule that protects cells from foreign harmful substances), and may be a drug that reverses the problem of multi-drug resistance in ovarian cancer in the future, and can also enhance the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapy drugs by indirectly inhibiting the production of free radicals.
In some in vivo studies (i.e., animal experiments), curcumin "confirmed" these effects.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="137" >2. In vivo studies on curcumin</h1>
Experimental studies in animals can prove to some extent the effect of drugs on the entire body, and can also predict the safety and efficacy of drugs to a certain extent (although drugs in vivo studies rarely can really go clinically).
An in vivo study showed that the use of curcumin alone in nude mice with in situ transplant tumors of ovarian cancer cells (nude mice is a certain type of low resistance) can reduce the weight of transplant tumors by about 50%, while curcumin combined with docetaxel can reduce the weight of two different types of transplant tumors by 96% and 77%, respectively.
Moreover, the animals received curcumin well and did not have obvious adverse reactions.
Another trial on the prevention of spontaneous ovarian cancer in hens also showed the role of curcumin in preventing ovarian cancer - researchers found that allowing hens to consume 25.8 mg and 53 mg of curcumin per day could reduce the incidence of spontaneous ovarian cancer in hens by 31% and 57%, respectively, after 12 months.
However, although it seems to be very effective in animal testing, there are still very few clinical studies of curcumin, and there are still many solutions to be solved if we want to advance from "animal testing" to "clinical trials".
For example, curcumin has a small solubility, unstable chemical properties (easy to spontaneous oxidation), low bioavailability in the body, lack of long-term side effects of curcumin, and can we use curcumin to have such a good effect? And so on.
Moreover, the mechanism of action of curcumin is also very complex, and its role in ovarian cancer still needs to be further explored.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="139" > third, clinical research is small, medication needs to be cautious</h1>
There is a rumor that of the 1,000 drugs that work in animal experiments, only one may end up in humans.
Curcumin's animal experiments do work, and it also deserves further study. However, at present, its clinical trials are very few, and the actual efficacy and safety of curcumin are not yet understood, and we need to explore its correct use in continuous clinical trials.
However, at present, there are endless health care products with curcumin words on the market, claiming to have solved some problems in the use of curcumin and inducing everyone to buy.
Mutual Aid needs to remind everyone to be cautious in medication, the anti-cancer effect of curcumin has not been confirmed, and antioxidant and anti-aging have other cheaper and more delicious things, such as apples, oranges, and peaches.
If you really want to use curcumin, wait for its clinical trials
References:
Liu Yuwan,Fu Yunfeng,Lü Weiguo. Research progress of curcumin in the prevention and treatment of ovarian cancer[J].Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine,2021,41:(252-256).
Turmeric. Baidu Encyclopedia
Editor-in-Charge: Gynecologic Oncology Mutual Aid