Turmeric, and more specifically the curcumin it contains, may inhibit the development of colorectal cancer, weaken cancer cells, and support healing. These are the findings of research by German scientists.
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the world. Researchers at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich conducted experiments that showed that curcumin can help prevent and treat bowel cancer.
Natural defense mechanism against cancer
In more than half of cases of colon damage, the tumor suppressor gene, or anti-oncogene, p53, plays a very important role in protecting the body from cancer. Simply put, this gene creates a microRNA molecule called miR-34 that plays a key role in preventing cancer.
It now appears that curcumin could be an alternative to this mechanism and, according to the Munich scientists, activate a signaling pathway that induces miR-34 expression (regardless of p53) and thereby helps to inhibit cancer. The team led by prof. Heiko Hermekinga published the results of the study in the journal Cell death and differentiation. The scientists conducted their experiments on a mouse model and on cell cultures.
How does curcumin affect cancer?
“There have already been indications in the literature that curcumin can induce miR-34, but there has been no systematic study of this phenomenon. Moreover, it was not clear what mechanism could be behind this,” said Hermeking.
His team proved that the whole process that curcumin causes causes premature aging of cancer cells, impairs the ability of cancer cells to migrate, and makes cancer cells more sensitive to certain types of chemotherapy.
As the researchers emphasize, an important aspect of the research results is that the effects that are achieved due to curcumin do not depend on the action of the p53 tumor suppressor gene (the problem, however, is that this gene is often lost in most types of cancer). cancer). According to the scientists, the results of their work may give rise to interesting concepts of new therapeutic possibilities, which, in their opinion, should be continued in further research.
Source: Wprost
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