Table 1.
Examples for growth inhibitory activities of curcumin and curcumin derivatives on tumor cells.
| Tumor types1 | Substances2 | Important observations3 | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| brain tumors (glioblastoma, medulloblastoma) | curcumin; curcumin + paclitaxel |
cell cycle inhibition; apoptosis; inhibition of telomerase; inhibition of migration; inhibition of hedgehog signaling | 25–28 |
| MPNST | curcumin + TRAIL | enhanced TRAIL sensitivity; increased production of ROS | 29 |
| sarcoma (chondrosarcoma, liposarcoma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma) | curcumin; curcumin + JCTH-4; FLLL32 |
up-regulation of FAS, FAS ligand, and TRAILR2; enhanced JCTH-4 sensitivity; cell cycle inhibition; inhibition of ATP2A2; apoptosis; down-regulation of MMP2 | 30–35 |
| melanoma | curcumin; FLLL32; FLLL62; DM-1 + dacarbazine; D6 |
cell cycle inhibition; up-regulation of TNF receptor 1; apoptosis; inhibition of STAT3 signaling | 36–39 |
| neuroblastoma | curcumin; D6 |
apoptosis; inhibition of TNF induced NFKB signaling | 39 |
| breast cancer | curcumin; curcumin + fluoruracil; curcumin + tamoxifen; curcumin + vinblastin; RL66; RL71 |
cell cyle inhibition; inhibition of multiple signaling pathways; apoptosis; inhibition of ERK signaling; down-regulation of EZH2; inhibition of migration of endothelial cells; depolymerization of microtubules | 40–46 |
| ovarian cancer | curcumin + cisplatin; curcumin + oxaliplatin; B19; HO-3867 + cisplatin; |
inhibition of STAT3 signaling; apoptosis; up-regulation of TP53; increased production of ROS | 47–49 |
| testicular cancer | curcumin + bleomycin | apoptosis | 50 |
| prostate cancer | curcumin; dimethoxycurcumin |
cell cycle inhibition; apoptosis; inhibition of MMP2, inhibition of wingless signaling | 51–53 |
| pancreatic cancer | curcumin; curcumin + sulforaphane + aspirin |
cell cycle inhibition; apoptosis; inhibition of NFKB signaling | 54,55 |
| liver cancer | curcumin + adriamycin | apoptosis | 56 |
| biliary cancer | curcumin | apoptosis; inhibition of NFKB signaling; inhibition of STAT3 signaling; up-regulation of TRAIL receptors | 57 |
| gastric cancer | curcumin; curcumin + doxorubicin; curcumin + etoposide |
apoptosis; inhibition of NFKB signaling | 58,59 |
| colon cancer | bisdehydroxycurcumin | apoptosis; autophagy | 60,61 |
| lung cancer | curcumin; curcumin + cisplatin B63; T63; |
cell cycle arrest; apoptosis; enhanced production of ROS; down-regulation of MDR transporters; enhanced degradation of HIF1A | 62–65 |
| mesothelioma | curcumin; curcumin + cisplain |
apoptosis | 66 |
| renal cell carcinoma | curcumin; FLLL32; FLLL62 |
apoptosis; inhibition of STAT3 signaling | 37 |
| bladder cancer | curcumin + BCG | inhibition of NFKB signaling; up-regulation of TRAIL receptors; apoptosis | 67 |
| esophageal cancer | curcumin; curcumin + fluoruracil curcumin + cisplatin |
cell cycle inhibition; inhibition of NFKB signaling; apoptosis; non-apoptotic cell death; inhibition of Notch signaling; | 68–71 |
| head and neck cancer | curcumin; FLLL32 + cisplatin |
cell cycle inhibition; apoptosis; inhibition of STAT3 signaling; increased production of ROS | 72–75 |
| leukemia and lymphoma | curcumin; curcumin + daunorubicin; curcumin + IR; CA#12 + bortezomib |
cell cycle inhibition; increased production of ROS; apoptosis; inhibition of NFKB signaling; activation of ERK pathway; down-regulation of cyclin D1, down-regulation of MYC | 76–85 |
MPNST, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors.
B19, (1E, 4E)-1, 5-bis(2-methoxyphenyl)penta-1,4-dien-3-one; B63, 1,5-bis(2-methoxyphenyl)penta-1,4-dien-3-one; DM-1, sodium 4-[5-(4-hydroxy-3- methoxyphenyl)-3-oxo-penta-1,4-dienyl]-2-methoxy-phenolate; BCG, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin; CA#12, (1E,6E)-1,7-Bis(4-valinoyl-3-methoxyphenyl) hepta-1,6-diene-3,5-dione hydrochloride; D6, (3E,3′E)-4,4′-(5,5′,6,6′-tetramethoxy-[1,1′-biphenyl]-3,3′-diyl)bis(but-3-en-2-one); FLLL32, (2E,2′E)-1,1′-(cyclohexane-1,1-diyl)bis(3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)prop-2-en-1-one); FLLL62, (2E,2′E)-1,1′-(tetrahydropyran-4,4-diyl)bis(3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)prop-2- en-1-one); HO-3867, 1-[(1-Oxyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-2,5-dihydro-1H-pyrrol-3-yl)methyl]-(3E,5E)-3,5-Bis(4-fluorobenzylidene)piperidin-4-one; IR, ionizing radiation; JCTH-4, synthetic pancratistatin analog; TRAIL, tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand; RL66, 1-Methyl-3,5-bis[(E)-4-pyridyl) methylidene]-4-piperidone; RL71, 3,5-bis(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzylidene)-1-methylpiperidine-4-one; T63, (1E,6E)-1,7-Bis(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-4-(4-hy droxy- 3-methoxybenzylidene)hepta-1,6-diene-3,5-dione.
ATP2A2, sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase; ERK, extracellular signal-regulated kinase; EZH2, enhancer of zeste homolog 2; HIF1A, hypoxia inducible factor 1, alpha subunit; NFKB, nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells; TNF, tumor necrosis factor; TP53, tumor protein 53; TRAILR2, TRAIL receptor 2 (death receptor 5); MDR, multi-drug resistance; MMP2, matrix metalloproteinase 2; MYC, myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homolog; ROS, reactive oxygen species; STAT3, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3.