Curcumin-free turmeric exhibits anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities: Identification of novel components of turmeric.

There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

Abstract

Turmeric, a dried powder derived from the rhizome of Curcuma longa, has been used for centuries in certain parts of the world and has been linked to numerous biological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antigrowth, anti-arthritic, anti-atherosclerotic, antidepressant, anti-aging, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, wound healing, and memory-enhancing activities. One component of turmeric is curcumin, which has been extensively studied, as indicated by more than 5600 citations, most of which have appeared within the past decade. Recent research has identified numerous chemical entities from turmeric other than curcumin. It is unclear whether all of the activities ascribed to turmeric are due to curcumin or whether other compounds in turmeric can manifest these activities uniquely, additively, or synergistically with curcumin. However, studies have indicated that turmeric oil, present in turmeric, can enhance the bioavailability of curcumin. Studies over the past decade have indicated that curcumin-free turmeric (CFT) components possess numerous biological activities including anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antidiabetic activities. Elemene derived from turmeric is approved in China for the treatment of cancer. The current review focuses on the anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities exhibited by CFT and by some individual components of turmeric, including turmerin, turmerone, elemene, furanodiene, curdione, bisacurone, cyclocurcumin, calebin A, and germacrone.

Related collections

Most cited references 96

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Terpenoids: natural inhibitors of NF-kappaB signaling with anti-inflammatory and anticancer potential.

T Suuronen, A Salminen, K. Kaarniranta … (2008)

Traditional medicine has been a fertile source for revealing novel lead molecules for modern drug discovery. In plants, terpenoids represent a chemical defense against environmental stress and provide a repair mechanism for wounds and injuries. Interestingly, effective ingredients in several plant-derived medicinal extracts are also terpenoid compounds of monoterpenoid, sesquiterpenoid, diterpenoid, triterpenoid and carotenoid groups. Inflammatory diseases and cancer are typical therapeutic indications of traditional medicines. Thus folk medicine supports the studies which have demonstrated that plant-derived terpenoid ingredients can suppress nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) signaling, the major regulator in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases and cancer.We review the extensive literature on the different types of terpenoid molecules, totalling 43, which have been verified both inhibiting the NF-kappaB signaling and suppressing the process of inflammation and cancer. It seems that during evolution, plants have established a terpene-based host defense which also represents a cornucopia of effective therapeutic compounds for common human diseases.

0 comments Cited 106 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Curcuminoids and sesquiterpenoids in turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) suppress an increase in blood glucose level in type 2 diabetic KK-Ay mice.

Tozo Nishiyama, Tatsumasa Mae, Hideyuki Kishida … (2005)

Turmeric, the rhizome of Curcuma longa L., has a wide range of effects on human health. The chemistry includes curcuminoids and sesquiterpenoids as components, which are known to have antioxidative, anticarcinogenic, and antiinflammatory activities. In this study, we investigated the effects of three turmeric extracts on blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetic KK-A(y) mice (6 weeks old, n = 5/group). These turmeric extracts were obtained by ethanol extraction (E-ext) to yield both curcuminoids and sesquiterpenoids, hexane extraction (H-ext) to yield sesquiterpenoids, and ethanol extraction from hexane-extraction residue (HE-ext) to yield curcuminoids. The control group was fed a basal diet, while the other groups were fed a diet containing 0.1 or 0.5 g of H-ext or HE-ext/100 g of diet or 0.2 or 1.0 g of E-ext/100 g of diet for 4 weeks. Although blood glucose levels in the control group significantly increased (P < 0.01) after 4 weeks, feeding of 0.2 or 1.0 g of E-ext, 0.5 g of H-ext, and 0.5 g of HE-ext/100 g of diet suppressed the significant increase in blood glucose levels. Furthermore, E-ext stimulated human adipocyte differentiation, and these turmeric extracts had human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) ligand-binding activity in a GAL4-PPAR-gamma chimera assay. Also, curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, and ar-turmerone had PPAR-gamma ligand-binding activity. These results indicate that both curcuminoids and sesquiterpenoids in turmeric exhibit hypoglycemic effects via PPAR-gamma activation as one of the mechanisms, and suggest that E-ext including curcuminoids and sesquiterpenoids has the additive or synergistic effects of both components.

0 comments Cited 86 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Antitumor effect of beta-elemene in non-small-cell lung cancer cells is mediated via induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptotic cell death.

Xiaoling Li, D Flynn, Guangzhi Wang … (2005)

Beta-elemene is a novel anticancer drug, which was extracted from the ginger plant. However, the mechanism of action of beta-elemene in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unknown. Here we show that beta-elemene had differential inhibitory effects on cell growth between NSCLC cell lines and lung fibroblast and bronchial epithelial cell lines. In addition, beta-elemene was found to arrest NSCLC cells at G2-M phase, the arrest being accompanied by decreases in the levels of cyclin B1 and phospho-Cdc2 (Thr-161) and increases in the levels of p27(kip1) and phospho-Cdc2 (Tyr-15). Moreover, beta-elemene reduced the expression of Cdc25C, which dephosphorylates/activates Cdc2, but enhanced the expression of the checkpoint kinase, Chk2, which phosphorylates/ inactivates Cdc25C. These findings suggest that the effect of beta-elemene on G2-M arrest in NSCLC cells is mediated partly by a Chk2-dependent mechanism. We also demonstrate that beta-elemene triggered apoptosis in NSCLC cells. Our results clearly show that beta-elemene induced caspase-3, -7 and -9 activities, decreased Bcl-2 expression, caused cytochrome c release and increased the levels of cleaved caspase-9 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase in NSCLC cells. These data indicate that the effect of beta-elemene on lung cancer cell death may be through a mitochondrial release of the cytochrome c-mediated apoptotic pathway.

0 comments Cited 69 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

All references

Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Mol Nutr Food Res

Title: Molecular nutrition & food research

ISSN (Electronic): 1613-4133

ISSN (Print): 1613-4125

Publication date (Electronic): Sep 2013

Volume: 57

Issue: 9

Affiliations

[1 ] Cytokine Research Laboratory, Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77054, USA. aggarwal@mdanderson.org