Another dark side of curcumin exists if you are at risk for lung cancer.
Lung tumor promotion by curcumin
Curcumin exhibits anti-inflammatory and antitumor activity and is being tested in clinical trials as a chemopreventive agent for colon cancer. Curcumin's chemopreventive activity was tested in a transgenic mouse model of lung cancer that expresses the human Ki-rasG12C allele in a doxycycline (DOX) inducible and lung-specific manner. The effects of curcumin were compared with the lung tumor promoter, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and the lung cancer chemopreventive agent, sulindac. Treatment of DOX-induced mice with dietary curcumin increased tumor multiplicity (36.3 ± 0.9 versus 24.3 ± 0.2) and progression to later stage lesions, results which were similar to animals that were co-treated with DOX/BHT. Microscopic examination showed that the percentage of lung lesions that were adenomas and adenocarcinomas increased to 66% in DOX/BHT, 66% in DOX/curcumin and 49% in DOX/BHT/curcumin-treated groups relative to DOX only treated mice (19%). Immunohistochemical analysis also showed increased evidence of inflammation in DOX/BHT, DOX/curcumin and DOX/BHT/curcumin mice relative to DOX only treated mice. In contrast, co-treatment of DOX/BHT mice with 80 p.p.m. of sulindac inhibited the progression of lung lesions and reduced the inflammation. Lung tissue from DOX/curcumin-treated mice demonstrated a significant increase (33%; P = 0.01) in oxidative damage, as assessed by the levels of carbonyl protein formation, relative to DOX-treated control mice after 1 week on the curcumin diet. These results suggest that curcumin may exhibit organ-specific effects to enhance reactive oxygen species formation in the damaged lung epithelium of smokers and ex-smokers. Ongoing clinical trials thus may need to exclude smokers and ex-smokers in chemopreventive trials of curcumin.
It looks like the "Lung tumor promotion by curcumin" study is an outlier study, so maybe shouldn't be relied on:
"Curcumin, a natural chemical component derived from turmeric (Curcuma longa), has been extensively studied for its potential anticancer effects. While it is generally known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and other biological activities, recent research has focused on its role in cancer therapy, including lung cancer. Studies have demonstrated that curcumin exhibits an anticancer effect by modulating various factors, such as growth factors, enzymes, transcription factors, kinases, inflammatory cytokines, and pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins, which are crucial in cancer progression [2]. Moreover, it has been found to suppress lung cancer progression through certain molecular mechanisms.
a study conducted to explore the potential molecular mechanism of curcumin in regulating lung cancer progression investigated the expression of circRUNX1, miR‐760, and Ras-like GTPase 3D (RAB3D) in lung cancer cells [1]. The findings of this study suggest that curcumin can suppress lung cancer progression via the circRUNX1 mediated miR‐760/RAB3D axis. CircRUNX1, which is upregulated in lung cancer, is inhibited by curcumin treatment. Curcumin reduces lung cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, and promotes apoptosis. Furthermore, curcumin's effects on lung cancer cells are influenced by its regulation of miR‐760 and its target, RAB3D [1].
Another study mentions curcumin's versatile role in lung cancer therapy, along with its derivatives [6]. The research explores the potential of curcumin and its derivatives as therapeutic agents in lung cancer treatment.
However, it is essential to note that there is another study that presents contrasting results. The study titled "Lung tumor promotion by curcumin" discusses the possible promotion of lung tumors by curcumin [3]. The authors, Stephanie T. Dance-Barnes et al., report that curcumin might have an unintended impact on lung tumor promotion based on their findings. It's important to consider this perspective in the broader context of curcumin's effects on lung cancer." (ChatGPT)
Edited by osris, 02 August 2023 - 10:54 PM.