Written by Susan Sweeny Johnson, PhD, Biochem. In a cell study, curcumin demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity which led to reduced cancer cell proliferation.
Changing of normal cells into cancer cells, the excessive growth of the cancer cells to form tumors, and the metastasizing of the cancer cells are caused by many different biochemical signals. In the human gut, the excessive production of the compound interleukin-8 by normal cells can initiate inflammation as well as cancer formation and metastasis. (1,2)
Neurotensin, a peptide hormone secreted into the gut during the consumption of fat, is known to act as a stimulus for normal intestinal cell growth but also as a stimulus for certain common types of colon and pancreatic cancers. (3)
Curcumin, a component of the curry spice tumeric, possesses anti-inflammatory characteristics and has been shown to slow the production of interleukin-8 in normal cells. (4) But the mechanism of its action is not well known.
In a recent study, researchers postulated that neurotensin would stimulate the production of interleukin-8 in a colon cancer cell line causing growth and metastasis of the cancer cells. They also looked at whether or not curcumin could interfere with the action of neurotensin.
They found that neurotensin did indeed stimulate production of interleukin-8, which In turn increased the ability of the cells to metastasize. They also found that relatively low doses of curcumin prevented the production of interleukin-8 stimulated by neurotensin and also reduced the ability of the cancer cells to metastasize.
Clinical trials are currently underway for further study. (5)
Source: Wang, Xiaofu, Qingding Wang, Kirk L. Ives, and B. Mark Evers. “Curcumin inhibits neurotensin-mediated interleukin-8 production and migration of HCT116 human colon cancer cells.” Clinical Cancer Research 12, no. 18 (2006): 5346-5355.
© 2006 American Association for Cancer Research
Posted August 27, 2008.
References:
- Xie K. Interleukin-8 and human cancer biology. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev 2001;12:375-91.
- Li A,VarneyML, Singh RK. Expression of interleukin 8 and its receptors in human colon carcinoma cells with different metastatic potentials. Clin Cancer Res 2001;7:3 298-304.
- Maoret JJ, Anini Y, Rouyer-Fessard C, Gully D, Laburthe M. Neurotensin and a non-peptide neurotensin receptor antagonist control human colon cancer cell growth in cell culture and in cells xenografted into nude mice. Int JCancer 1999;80:448^54.
- Biswas SK, McClure D, Jimenez LA, Megson IL, Rahman I. Curcumin induces glutathione biosynthesis and inhibits NF-nB activation and interleukin-8 release in alveolar epithelial cells: mechanism of free radical scavenging activity. Antioxid Redox Signal 2005;7: 32-41.
- Sharma RA, Euden SA, Platton SL, et al. Phase I clinical trial of oral curcumin: biomarkers of systemic activity and compliance. Clin Cancer Res 2004;10:6847-54.
