• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.117-122
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Curcumin, a major component of the Curcuma species, contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Although it was found to induce apoptosis in cancer cells, the functional role of curcumin as well as its molecular mechanism in anti-inflammatory response, particularly in intestinal cells, has been less investigated. The intestine epithelial barrier is the first barrier and the most important location for the substrate coming from the lumen of the gut. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We administered curcumin treatment in the human intestinal epithelial cell lines, T84 and Caco-2. We examined endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response by thapsigargin, qPCR of XBP1 and BiP, electrophysiology by wild-type cholera toxin in the cells. RESULTS: In this study, we showed that curcumin treatment reduces ER stress and thereby decreases inflammatory response in human intestinal epithelial cells. In addition, curcumin confers protection without damaging the membrane tight junction or actin skeleton change in intestine epithelial cells. Therefore, curcumin treatment protects the gut from bacterial invasion via reduction of ER stress and anti-inflammatory response in intestinal epithelial cells. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our data demonstrate the important role of curcumin in protecting the intestine by modulating ER stress and inflammatory response post intoxication.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.191-195
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• 2010

There is an increasing interest in curcumin (Curcuma longa L.) as a cardiovascular disease (CVD) protective agent via decreased blood total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) level. The aim of this study was to investigate further the potential mechanism in the hypocholesterolemic effect of curcumin by measuring cholesterol 7a-hydroxylase (CYP7A1), a rate limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of bile acid from cholesterol, at the mRNA level. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a 45% high fat diet or same diet supplemented with curcumin (0.1% wt/wt) for 8 weeks. The curcumin diet significantly decreased serum triglyceride (TG) by 27%, total cholesterol (TC) by 33.8%, and LDL-cholesterol by 56%, respectively as compared to control group. The curcumin-supplemented diet also significantly lowered the atherogenic index (AI) by 48% as compared to control group. Hepatic TG level was significantly reduced by 41% in rats fed with curcumin-supplemented diet in comparison with control group (P < 0.05). Conversely, the curcumin diet significantly increased fecal TG and TC. The curcumin diet up-regulated hepatic CYP7A1 mRNA level by 2.16-fold, compared to control group p (P < 0.05). These findings suggested that the increases in the CYP7A1 gene expression may partially account for the hypocholesterolemic effect of curcumin.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.259.3-260
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• 2003

Alzheimer's disease(AD) is the most common cause of senile dementia in elderly people and the causes of AD are currently not fully understood. However, AD is generally understood to be associated with reduced levels of acetylcholine in the brain as cholinergic neurons are lost and cholinergic neurotransmission declines. There are growing evidences that two types of cholinesterase(ChE), i.e., acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) both play important roles in the regulation of acetylcholine level in brain and thus may have a crucial role in the development and progression of AD. (omitted)

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.3865-3869
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• 2016

Curcumin, a polyphenolic compound isolated from the rhizomes of an herbaceous perennial plant, Curcuma longa, is known to possess anticancerous activity. However, the mechanism of apoptosis induction in cancers differs. In this study, we have (1) investigated the anticancerous activity of curcumin on REH and RS4;11 leukemia cells and (2) studied the chemo-sensitizing potential of curcumin for doxorubicin, a drug presently used for leukemia treatment. It was found that curcumin induced a dose dependent decrease in cell viability because of apoptosis induction as visualized by annexin V-FITC/ PI staining. Curcumin-induced apoptosis of leukemia cells was mediated by PARP-1 cleavage. An increased level of caspase-3, apoptosis inducing factor (AIF), cleaved PARP-1 and decreased level of Bcl2 was observed in leukemia cells after 24h of curcumin treatment. In addition, curcumin at doses lower than the $IC_{50}$ value significantly enhanced doxorubicin induced cell death. Therefore, we conclude that curcumin induces apoptosis in leukemia cells via PARP-1 mediated caspase-3 dependent pathway and further may act as a potential chemo-sensitizing agent for doxorubicin. Our study highlights the chemo-preventive and chemo-sensitizing role of curcumin.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.113-121
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• 2010

Recently, there has been a great deal of public interest in health foods, such as turmeric (Curcuma longa L). In this study, the baking features of turmeric powder were evaluated by making pan bread. To accomplish this, the effects of added turmeric powder on the results of mixograph analysis as well as, the pH and, fermentation rate were measured. In addition, the features of the bread were examined by testing the stickiness of the dough and the TPA of the product using a texture analyzer. Finally, the consumer's preferences were investigated by evaluation of the color difference, crumbScan and sensory evaluation. The results revealed that as the level of turmeric powder increased, the pH decreased. which resulted in the gas possessing capacity of the dough improving and the fermentation persistence of the dough increasing. In addition, the stickiness increased as the turmeric powder content increased. However, there were significant differences among breads produced using different amounts of turmeric powder. Evaluation of the taste revealed that the TP3 group had the higher score than control score and TP7 had the lowest score. In overall preference, TP7 was especially low and the preference decreased as the content of turmeric powder increased.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.315-322
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• 2005

In this study we report on the estrogen activity of silkworm pupa and herb extracts in vitro. The estrogenic activity of these resources was investigated by competition binding assays with estrogen receptor $\alpha(ER{\alpha})\;or\;ER{\beta}$, and viability of MCF-7 cells, a human breast cancer cell line. Saturation ligand-binding analysis of $ER{\alpha}\;and\;ER{\beta}$ revealed that all plant extracts competed with estrogen ligand for binding to both ER subtypes with a similar preference and degree and competed stronger with ligand for binding to $ER{\beta}\;than\;to\;ER{\alpha}$. The highest $ER{\alpha}-binding$ sample was silkworm pupa aqueous extract The highest $ER{\beta}-binding$ sample was silkworm pupa oil. These samples were further tested for bioactivity based on their ability to regulate cell growth rate in ER(+) breast cancer cell line, MCF-7 cells. Our studies showed that silkworm pupa, soritae, sesame, yam, pueraria, malt, ginseng, Polygonum multiflorum, and Curcuma longa significantly stimulated the growth of MCF-7 cells (P<0.05). In summary, these results suggested that silkworm pupa and herbs might be useful as potential phytoestrogens.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.13-23
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• 1993

To data, many types of compounds having antineoplastic activity have been isolated from higher plants, that is, alkalodids, terpenes, lignans, steroids and so on. Some of ther were isolated from Indonesian plants, Curcuma xanthorrhiza and Eurycoma longifolia. Bisaborane type compounds were compounds were isolated as antimeoplastic compounds againest Sarcoma 180A from C. xanthorrhiza, and quassinoids and euryrene type triterpenes from triterpenes from El longifolia. Casearines, a kind of diterpene, had been isolated as cytotxic components from Casearia sylvestris distributed in South America. RA series Cyclic hexapeptides isolated from Rubia akane and R. cordifolia also have strong antineoplastic activity against various types of tumors. Till now, 16 kinds of RA series compounds were isolated and named as RA-I~XVI. Moreover, monoglucoside of RA-V newly isolated from same plant. Many kinds of derivatives including natural RA compounds were tested for QSAR, and one of them, RA-VII was screened up as a most suitable substance as an antitumor agent. RA-VII(=RA 700) has strong cytotoxic activity against KB cells, P388 lymphocytic leukemia and MM2 mammary carcinoma cells. In some solution, three conformers of RA-VII were observed by NMR. It was discussed the relationship between conformation and activity. Total synthesis was already completed, but there is left room for improvement. Phase I clinical trials for RA-VII has been finished, then Phase II trials will be started before long.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.153-157
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• 1999

The anticancer effect of medicinal plants against two oral carcinoma cells, A253 and SCC-25 were investigated in this study. Methanol extracts from 63 medicinal plants, which have anticancer activities against other cancers such as stomach, hepatocellular or colon carcinomas, were prepared and screened for their anti- oral cancer activity by using MTT assay. Thirty one samples showed anti-oral cancer activity against either cell line used, however, other 32 samples had no anti-oral cancer activity. Among these samples methanol extract of Caesalpinia sappan revealed the strongest anti-oral cancer activity. The $IC_{50}$/ values of this extract against A253 and SCC-25 cells were 16 and 25 $\mu$g/m1, respectively. Fractions of n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethylacetate, n-buthanol and water were prepared from methanol extracts of Caesalpinia sappan, Anthriscus sylvestris, Rhus japonica, Curcuma arowatica, Inula helenium, Sinoarnudinaria reticulata, and Polygonum cuspidatum, respectively. Among these 35 fractions the n-hexane fraction of Inula helenium showed the strongest anti-oral cancer activity, the $IC_{50}$/ value was 1.6$\pm$0.3 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml. Ten other fractions showed $IC_{50}$/ values lower than 10 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml.

• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.337-342
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• 2002

Many components that are derived from medicinal or dietary plants possess potential chemopreventive properties. Curcumin, a yellow coloring agent from turmeric (Curcuma longa Linn, Zingiberaceae), possesses strong antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic activities. In this study, we have found that curcumin inhibits the 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced nuclear factor ${\kappa}B$ (NF-${\kappa}B$) activation by preventing the degradation of the inhibitory protein $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ and the subsequent translocation of the p65 subunit in cultured human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) cells. Alternatively, curcumin repressed the TPA-induced activation of NF-${\kappa}B$ through direct interruption of the binding of NF-${\kappa}B$ to its consensus DNA sequences. Likewise, the TPA-induced DNA binding of the activator protein-1 (AP-1) was inhibited by curcumin pretreatment.

• CELLMED
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1.1-1.9
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• 2016

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading medical condition for which patients use alternative treatments including the natural remedies. The aim of this review is to describe the dietary supplements and herbal remedies most commonly used in patients with osteoarthritis with an emphasis on the efficacy and safety of these natural remedies. Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, two of the molecular building blocks found in articular cartilage, are the most commonly used remedies in OA treatment. Most clinical researches suggest that glucosamine and chondroitin show efficacy in reducing or improving symptoms and their ability to arrest progression of the disease or regenerate damaged cartilage. Patented formulations of both remedies are recommended by several therapeutic guidelines for use as first line background OA treatment. Reliable evidence that the combination is more effective than either agent alone is however still lacking. Several other herbs or remedies are promoted for treating osteoarthritis such as S-adenosylmethionine, methylsulfonylmethane, Harpagophytum procumbens (devil's claw), Curcuma longa (turmeric), Zingiber officinale (ginger), and capsaicin but there is no reliable evidence on long-term efficacy or safety. The clinical usefulness of these remedies is therefore rather limited currently.