Kurkuma
tegen kanker.*
Uit een studie met muizen blijkt dat kurkuma zeer effectief te zijn in de bestrijding van kanker. De muizen kregen prostaatkankercellen geïmplanteerd en behalve kurkuma in de voeding kregen verschillende groepen muizen of chemotherapie of bestraling of niets.
Kurkuma bleek de tumor duidelijk te doen slinken en de effecten van de chemotherapie of bestraling te verbeteren.
Curcumin,
Also Known As Curry Powder, Has Anticancer Effects
Curry
powder is a mixture predominantly composed of turmeric root extract and other
spices such as coriander and fenugreek.
Curcumin, a turmeric root extract, has been shown to possess activity in the
treatment and prevention of cancer, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease.
The molecular mechanism for its anticancer effect is largely unknown, although
it is thought to inhibit the synthesis of MDM2, an oncoprotein known to bind p53
and modulate p21 expression.
In the issue of Cancer Research, Li and colleagues from the Comprehensive
Cancer Center of the University of Alabama report on a study designed to
elucidate the molecular anticancer effect of curcumin in a preclinical prostate
cancer model.
Using PC-3 human prostate cancer cell lines grown in vitro, curcumin was found
to decrease the mRNA and protein expression of the oncoprotein MDM2 and to
enhance the expression of tumor modulator p21. This translated into an induction
of apoptosis and inhibition of proliferation of PC-3 cells grown in culture.
A group of mice xenografts were also developed using the PC-3 cell-line.
Curcumin was administered via an oral route to all mice (5 days per week for 4
weeks) except for the control group which only received cottonseed oil. Study
groups (5 mice each) were divided as follows: (1) curcumin therapy alone, (2)
gemcitabine alone intraperitoneally, (3) radiotherapy alone, and (4) control.
Tumor mass was compared at the end of the study. Compared to the control, in all
study groups curcumin was found to inhibit the growth of tumors in mice and to
enhance the effects of both gemcitabine therapy and radiation therapy.
This well-performed study provides an elegant mechanistic explanation for the
anticancer effect of curcumin, which appears to act in a p53 independent manner.
These exciting data suggest that this dietary supplement should be studied in
combination with traditional forms of chemotherapy or radiotherapy in tumors
dependent on the MDM2 pathway.
Mao Li, Zhuo Zhang, Donald L. Hill, Hui Wang, and Ruiwen Zhang
Cancer Res. 2007 1:67(5): 1988-96.
(Mei 2007)