Curcumin, a multi-functional chemopreventive agent, blocks growth of colon cancer cells by targeting beta-catenin-mediated transactivation and cell-cell adhesion pathways.
Colorectal cancer, the second most frequent diagnosed cancer in the US, causes significant morbidity and mortality in humans. Over the past several years, the molecular and biochemical pathways that influence the development of colon cancer have been extensively characterized. Since the development of colon cancer involves multi-step events, the available drug therapies for colorectal cancer are largely ineffective. The radiotherapy, photodynamic therapy, and chemotherapy are associated with severe side effects and offer no firm expectation for a cure. Thus, there is a constant need for the investigation of other potentially useful options. One of the widely sought approaches is cancer chemoprevention that uses natural agents to reverse or inhibit the malignant transformation of colon cancer cells and to prevent invasion and metastasis. Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a natural plant product, possesses such chemopreventive activity that targets multiple signalling pathways in the prevention of colon cancer development.
Narayan
Satya
S
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and UF Shands Cancer Center, College of Medicine, The University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018890:Chemoprevention; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003474:Curcumin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D051176:beta Catenin
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051176:beta Catenin; D003474:Curcumin