Curcumin as a DNA topoisomerase II poison.
Curcumin, the major active component of the spice turmeric, is recognised as a safe compound with great potential for cancer chemoprevention and cancer therapy. It induces apoptosis, but its initiation mechanism remains poorly understood. Curcumin has been assessed on the human cancer cell lines, TK-10, MCF-7 and UACC-62, and their IC50 values were 12.16, 3.63, 4.28 microM respectively. The possibility of this compound being a topoisomerase II poison has also been studied and it was found that 50 microM of curcumin is active in a similar fashion to the antineoplastic agent etoposide. These results point to DNA damage induced by topoisomerase II poisoning as a possible mechanism by which curcumin initiates apoptosis, and increase the evidence suggesting its possible use in cancer therapy.
Laboratorio de Farmacognosia, Facultad de Farmacia, C/P. García González No. 2, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
Carmen
C
Martín-Cordero
Miguel
M
López-Lázaro
Marina
M
Gálvez
Maria Jesús
MJ
Ayuso
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003474:Curcumin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004249:DNA Damage; D004250:DNA Topoisomerases, Type II / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005047:Etoposide / Q000633:toxicity; D006801:Humans; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D015394:Molecular Structure; D059005:Topoisomerase II Inhibitors
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D059005:Topoisomerase II Inhibitors; D005047:Etoposide; D004250:DNA Topoisomerases, Type II; D003474:Curcumin