EFFECTS OF NATURALLY OCCURRING DIARYHEPTANOIDS ON CYCLOOXYGENASE-2 EXPRESSION AND NF- $\textsc{k}$B ACTIVATION IN HUMAN BREAST EPITHELIAL CELLS

Abnormal regulation of the inducible form of cyclooxygenase (COX-2) has been often observed in various types of cancerous and transformed cells. Recently, targeted inhibition of COX-2 is recognized as one of the promising strategies for the prevention or treatment of cancer as well as inflammation, As part of a program to evaluate the cancer chemopreventive potential of anti-inflammatory phytochemicals, we initially determined the COX-2 inhibitory activity of some naturally occurring diarylheptanoids structurally related to curcumin.(omitted)