MM Updates 3/27/08
Posted by Eve on April 3, 2008
Mayo Clinic cancer model to speed up drug research: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0317cancer0317.html
Bone and Cancer Foundation Announces New Online Resource for Patients and Health Professionals: http://www.prleap.com/pr/116416/
EU body warns against Velcade use in some patients: http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSL2085960720080320
Array BioPharma Advances p38 / Tie2 Inhibitor, ARRY-614, into Phase 1 Clinical Trial: http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1244342/
Cell Mol Life Sci. 2008 Mar 7 [Epub ahead of print]
Curcumin: From ancient medicine to current clinical trials.
Hatcher H, Planalp R, Cho J, Torti FM, Torti SV.
Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, USA.
Curcumin is the active ingredient in the traditional herbal remedy and dietary spice turmeric (Curcuma longa). Curcumin has a surprisingly wide range of beneficial properties, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activity. The pleiotropic activities of curcumin derive from its complex chemistry as well as its ability to influence multiple signaling pathways, including survival pathways such as those regulated by NF-kappaB, Akt, and growth factors; cytoprotective pathways dependent on Nrf2; and metastatic and angiogenic pathways. Curcumin is a free radical scavenger and hydrogen donor, and exhibits both pro- and antioxidant activity. It also binds metals, particularly iron and copper, and can function as an iron chelator. Curcumin is remarkably non-toxic and exhibits limited bioavailability. Curcumin exhibits great promise as a therapeutic agent, and is currently in human clinical trials for a variety of conditions, including multiple myeloma, pancreatic cancer, myelodysplastic syndromes, colon cancer, psoriasis and Alzheimer’s disease.
PMID: 18324353 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007;595:1-75
Curcumin: the Indian solid gold.
Aggarwal BB, Sundaram C, Malani N, Ichikawa H.
Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA. aggarwal@mdanderson.org
Turmeric, derived from the plant Curcuma longa, is a gold-colored spice commonly used in the Indian subcontinent, not only for health care but also for the preservation of food and as a yellow dye for textiles. Curcumin, which gives the yellow color to turmeric, was first isolated almost two centuries ago, and its structure as diferuloylmethane was determined in 1910. Since the time of Ayurveda (1900 Bc) numerous therapeutic activities have been assigned to turmeric for a wide variety of diseases and conditions, including those of the skin, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal systems, aches, pains, wounds, sprains, and liver disorders. Extensive research within the last half century has proven that most of these activities, once associated with turmeric, are due to curcumin. Curcumin has been shown to exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities and thus has a potential against various malignant diseases, diabetes, allergies, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic illnesses. These effects are mediated through the regulation of various transcription factors, growth factors, inflammatory cytokines, protein kinases, and other enzymes. Curcumin exhibits activities similar to recently discovered tumor necrosis factor blockers (e.g., HUMIRA, REMICADE, and ENBREL), a vascular endothelial cell growth factor blocker (e.g., AVASTIN), human epidermal growth factor receptor blockers (e.g., ERBITUX, ERLOTINIB, and GEFTINIB), and a HER2 blocker (e.g., HERCEPTIN). Considering the recent scientific bandwagon that multitargeted therapy is better than monotargeted therapy for most diseases, curcumin can be considered an ideal “Spice for Life”.
PMID: 17569205 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007;595:105-25
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin.
Menon VP, Sudheer AR.
Department of Biochemistry & Center for Micronutrient Research, Annamalai University, Tamilnadu, India. biocmr@sify.com
Curcumin, a yellow pigment from Curcuma longa, is a major component of turmeric and is commonly used as a spice and food-coloring agent. It is also used as a cosmetic and in some medical preparations. The desirable preventive or putative therapeutic properties of curcumin have also been considered to be associated with its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Because free-radical-mediated peroxidation of membrane lipids and oxidative damage of DNA and proteins are believed to be associated with a variety of chronic pathological complications such as cancer, atherosclerosis, and neurodegenerative diseases, curcumin is thought to play a vital role against these pathological conditions. The anti-inflammatory effect of curcumin is most likely mediated through its ability to inhibit cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), lipoxygenase (LOX), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). COX-2, LOX, and iNOS are important enzymes that mediate inflammatory processes. Improper upregulation of COX-2 and/or iNOS has been associated with the pathophysiology of certain types of human cancer as well as inflammatory disorders. Because inflammation is closely linked to tumor promotion, curcumin with its potent anti-inflammatory property is anticipated to exert chemopreventive effects on carcinogenesis. Hence, the past few decades have witnessed intense research devoted to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin. In this review, we describe both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin, the mode of action of curcumin, and its therapeutic usage against different pathological conditions.
PMID: 17569207 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
